


Mistaken Identity

by obsidians, Sakurablossomhime (cherrygirlprime)



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Awkward Situation, Brain Damage, Child Tendendancies, Childbirth, F/M, Forced Marriage, Hate to Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-16 19:55:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7282501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsidians/pseuds/obsidians, https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrygirlprime/pseuds/Sakurablossomhime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desperate to have Cloud's child, Tifa takes drastic measures to obtain a sperm sample in order to inseminate herself.   It turns out it was the wrong sample though. <br/>This is a Sephiroth/Tifa pairing. Co-written with sakurablossomhime with full collaboration between us and her doing many late corrections and additions while I snored in bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I do not own FF7 or its characters and make no profit from writing these stories. I encourage you to check my bank balance for confirmation of this fact.

Roll 'em

Tifa looked at the picture of Cloud and herself, taken from when they were young and he was actually smiling while he had his strong arm around her. Ever since they were small, she knew she wanted to marry him, to be his wife, have his children and imagined what their little blonde children would look like. They would be beautiful. Cloud was so good looking and she knew she was no slouch in the looks department either.

She sighed and looked around at her cramped little apartment and wondered how she had ended up here; owning a bar when all she wanted to do was be his wife and spend her time taking care of him and their brood. She was now twenty-eight and felt her child bearing years slipping away. She had wanted to have children really young, but fate wouldn't have that.

She had always assumed that Cloud and herself would be together, but fate had thrown into their path; another girl to grab his attention, the sweet rival to his affections and Tifa's friend, Aerith and her death, the death of his best friend, Zach and the person behind it all, General Sephiroth, hero turned psycho, the would-be planet destroyer whose mind had snapped after years of abuse from Shinra and his own father. He had broken Cloud as well in his wake of destruction and that has caused him to seek solitude and the last she had heard from him, he was raising Chocobos on an isolated farm. Tifa had suggested selling the bar and going with him, imagining herself being in the fresh air helping him on the farm, having a vegetable garden and cooking their meals, but he had just said he needed to be alone, to have time to think.

That didn't help Tifa, she wanted his children and badly. She was already everyone's mother, she just needed a baby and Cloud's child at that. Her arms itched to hold a perfect little blonde baby with sparkling blue eyes. It was a hunger that wouldn't go away, it just seemed to grow stronger with each year. Why had she never slept with him as a teenager? If only there was a way for her to obtain a sperm sample of his and inseminate herself, having a family would certainly bring him out of his funk and of course he would marry her. It would be a perfect solution. She knew she was obsessed but didn't want to let it go.

She frowned when she found a memory kicking around her brain. It had something to do with SOLDIER...then it surfaced and she recalled that all members of SOLDIER had their sperm samples frozen upon entry into the core, that should anything happen to them, their families were allowed to request them, should they wish to use them for procreation purposes.

Cloud had told her on one of the many nights his memories, not Zachary's, came to the fore. Of course SOLDIER had long been disbanded, but the samples might still exist and should she be able to get her hands on Cloud's sample.

Tifa got excited as she spoke with her friend, who happened to work at WRO Headquarters. "Yes they do still exist and the same rules apply. They are labeled by the person's regimental number" Nancy explained.

"Do you think that you could get me Cloud's number?" she asked her.

"Those records are archived and I would need to literally dig through boxes to find out that information" she said.

"I'll give you free dinners for a year" Tifa suggested to her.

Nancy sighed as she opened the sixth box and pulled out yet more military records and finally found the one for Cloud Strife. Knowing her lunch was almost over, she hastily pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and jotted down the number, unaware that she had reversed the last two digits in her haste.

Tifa looked at the young lab assistant, Daniel. Her friend Nancy had recommended she approach him with her proposal as he wasn't averse to doing things not quite legal for quick cash.

"That's a lot of money" she said when he named the amount.

"It's a lot of risk, not only could I lose my job, but they are considered to be government property and if removed without going through proper channels, carries a ten year jail sentence if I'm caught. I'm willing to risk it only if you will pay me what I want" he insisted.

Tifa realized she would have to remortgage the bar, which she had just finished paying off and then said "Give me a few days and you'll get your money" she assured him.

Daniel sneakily tried to disable the cameras, but didn't quite succeed and stepped into the cryogenics lab and used a deceased doctor's badge to open up the main door to what was referred to as "the vault." Inside the huge freezers were hundreds of thousands of small dark grey metal containers that were identified only by the service number of each man on the front of them. Daniel quickly consulted the number that he had been given, took it out and slipped it into his briefcase to spirit it from the building.

Tifa looked what the test tube contained. There been enough for two attempts and the first one had failed, so this was her final chance. She picked up the stainless steel turkey baster, like the last time, first she had boiled it and then had left it soaking in alcohol overnight. Drawing the white liquid into it, she lifted up her t-shirt and pushed it as far into herself as possible and with silent prayer to the goddess, injected it into herself and put her legs up into the air and prayed again for a miracle.

The lowly lab assistants were very nervous when their inventory of the SOLDIER cryogenics samples kept on coming up one short.

"This is bad, this is so bad. The last one that left here was three years ago; all the rest should be present" the nervous blonde girl, Jennifer said her friend, Kate.

"It can't just have spouted legs and walked off, even most of the doctors don't have clearance to this section. We should check again" her Kate suggested.

"We checked twenty times, we checked the floor in case it fell down and we checked behind other samples and it isn't here. We have to report this to Dr. Morton" she said and both looked at each other with dread. Dr. Morton was a hardass who ate puppies for breakfast and washed them down with the blood of slaughtered baby harp seals.

"How could it not be there?" Dr. Morton demanded of them, looking from one barely competent employee to the other, he barely trusted them to count their own noses. "Most of those samples have been sitting there for years" he said.

"I don't know sir" Jennifer said nervously.

"Who's sample is it? Hopefully he's dead" Dr. Morton callously said.

"It 's regimental number 4947998 and that would be...Sephiroth Crescent" she read out, consulting her list.

Even Dr. Morton turned pale at this.

"Sephiroth, as in the newly reinstated General Sephiroth? That Sephiroth?" he questioned her with dread in his voice.

"This is really bad" Jennifer said.

"This is a nightmare, I want the names of each and every doctor who checked into the vault since the last inventory of it, match that with the dates and watch the security footage from that date. We have to try to contain this and General Sephiroth can never know. Any samples of him were supposed to have been disposed of a long time ago on his orders. Once we have the culprit, turn the matter over to the internal police and let them handle it, but quietly, someone is going to jail over this. Oh and prayer for a miracle that General Sephiroth never finds out" he cautioned them.

Sephiroth had been off on a recon mission with his men and now was on his way back the headquarters, when he sneezed so severely, several of his men first response was to ask if he was okay, then they thought better of it because of who he was.

Sephiroth squinted his eyes.

Someone was talking about him somewhere.

He marched forward at an unhurried pace, well aware of those behind him moving in synchronicity with himself and deliberately slowed, for his own amusement until they were moving as slowly as corseted women taking a stroll in a garden. Yes he had missed his old rank and felt happy to be back. Back he was and glad for it, he had overcome his own mental health issues and Lifestream, having Jenova silenced and his second in command back, one Zachary Fair, on the merits of the last Cetra, Aerith. She'd shown her mercy when he really didn't deserve it but she'd sacrificed her one love and strength to give him his "living, breathing conscious" back to make it through this life.

Sephiroth mused.

His own neutral expression hid even his smirk as his men almost daintily minced after him.

"General, please stop" one of his men almost pleaded.

"What?" He asked him.

"That cat is about to step into your path" he explained.

Sephiroth looked down at the black cat in front of him and back at his troops, everyone seemed to shiver as both his eyes and the cat's were the same color and both blinked at them in the same way, one in confusion and one well... it was just a cat looking at weird people it didn't know. "So what? It's just a cat. Are you afraid of pussy now, Private Jensen?" He asked him.

"It's bad luck for a black cat to cross your path" the blushing private stammered.

"I suggest that you keep your silly superstitions in the kitchen where they belong…while you prepare your husband's dinner in your frilly pink apron "Sephiroth said in a rare moment of whimsy that made everyone else laugh.

He hurried his pace, glad to almost be home. He was exhausted beyond belief but refused to show it and he was grateful to be on his way home where he could take a long bath, eat a quick dinner, so he could have nine hours of coma-like sleep and the next night he would be in the arms of his lover. He marveled that such simple things could complete his life, but he liked his life simple, regimented, if anything and uncomplicated.


	2. Chapter 2

Myself and Sasukeblossomhime thank everyone who reviewed and shall be rolling out a new chapter every Friday morning until we are done all 7. Hope you enjoy this crazy fic and shall review :)

Chapter 2

Sephiroth got out of bed and got ready to go into his office, it didn't take him long to get ready in the mornings. He had bathed the night before, so it was just a matter of brushing his hair free of tangles and brushing his teeth. He possessed very little body hair, so didn't need to shave which he found a blessing as he couldn't stand the scent of aftershave or anything like that, preferring his own natural body scent.

He examined himself in the mirror, he still looked the age he had when he had died, still finding it odd to use that expression in description, but there was nothing normal about him. So did it really matter?

He had gained muscle mass, so was slightly stockier than he had been, but it was hard to work out in Lifestream. Whereas, he worked out four hours a day, liking the self discipline of it. He liked driving himself to even his considerable limits.

He looked for the beauty that so many admired about him but saw only himself, as he had always looked. He was single and didn't see any reason for changing that. He did have sex, but had only had the sort where his partner was already on birth control and he always wore a condom. He finally had had a vasectomy that he religiously got medically checked each month to make sure his own body didn't decide to reject it. He didn't date, preferring to take lovers. He had discreet arrangements where he wasn't expected to entertain them outside of bed. He had been told he was a good lover, however he approached sex in the same way he did working out; aggressively. It was more like he pounded all his frustrations from everyday life into a tight, willing body.

He slipped into his clothes, had a light breakfast and went into his office. He nodded politely to his personal assistant, who followed him into his office.

"Have you heard from Sergeant Danvers?" he asked her.

"Yes sir, he has arranged a meeting time of one pm at a bar called, Seventh Heaven" she replied.

"Seventh Heaven? Did you to tell him I prefer not to frequent that establishment?" he asked her.

"He was most insistent upon meeting there, it's something about a girl he'd met. I believe she works there" she said. Not disclosing that the affable Sergeant Danvers' exact words were "tell the tight ass to get his marble buns to Seventh Heaven so he can check out the ass of the century on this waitress who works there."

"A girl? Ah, I think he's met Tifa Lockhart" Sephiroth mused.

"You know this lady?" she asked him.

"I almost killed that lady" he said. He remembered her as a cute teenaged girl and wondered what she looked like now, obviously his colleague approved of how she had turned out.

Daniel squirmed uncomfortably under Dr. Morton's and the police man's gazes. "What did you do with the sample?" he demanded of the cringing man.

"I gave it to someone" he admitted, "she paid me a lot of money for it."

"And this person's name is?" Dr. Morton asked.

"Tifa Lockhart, she owns a bar called the Seventh Heaven" he told them.

"Captain, have an arrest warrant made up for this person and go pick her up. We have to make an example of her to show people what happens when they steal government property" Dr. Morton said to the Police Captain beside him and he nodded.

Everyone tensed when Sephiroth strolled into Seventh Heaven with the handsome, dark haired Sergeant Danvers beside him. He made no pretense about being there, in fact he approached the bar that a very attractive, more grown up version of Tifa Lockhart stood behind. "I apologize if my presence here makes you feel uncomfortable, Miss Lockhart. I know that you are not a fan of mine. I am only here because my colleague, who I understand you have met before, insisted we had to meet here. If you will bear with me and allow me to remain for the span of about an hour and have a drink or two, I shall depart and never bother you again" he said in a surprisingly humble voice.

"Take a seat" Tifa said in a cold voice. "Hello again, Sergeant" she said in a much warmer one.

"Hello Tifa, are you going to be dancing on the bar this time?" he asked her, leaning over the bar.

"I'm afraid my bar dancing days are over for the moment" she said, stepping from behind the bar to reveal her swollen pregnant belly.

"Oh my, congratulations to yourself and your husband" Sergeant Danvers said, leaning waaaaaay back from the bar.

"I'm not married, I was artificially inseminated" Tifa lied as she had to everyone else, she wanted Cloud to be the first one to know the truth.

"I guess that makes her still single" Sephiroth observed.

"Quite, come let's find a seat" Sergeant Danvers said all but dragging him to the first available table. Sephiroth was the first one to see the policemen come into the bar and approach the talking Tifa and Yuffie.

"Tifa Lockhart?" they questioningly asked her.

"Yes" she said with a frown.

"You're under arrest for the theft of government property" they said, slapping handcuffs on her and Sephiroth observed that she didn't look too surprised.

"What? This has to be some kind of mistake" Yuffie cried, her eyes flying around the bar, looking for someone who could help Tifa, but most of their highly placed friends had returned to their offices by then.

"It's okay Yuffie" Tifa assured her, "I'll be fine"

But Yuffie wasn't done yet and her eyes settled on Sephiroth, "Sephiroth, you're a General again aren't you?" she asked him.

"That's correct" he replied, wondering what the petite ninja was getting at.

"Well then go with her and help her. You certainly owe her one" she demanded.

"You would order me to..." he chided her.

"Get your pale ass off that seat and go with Tifa" she ordered him.

"You should help Tifa" Sergeant Danvers agreed.

"You are nearly as highly placed as myself and I don't see you volunteering. I thought you liked her?" Sephiroth asked him.

"I'm not into the whole single mom thing. I shall be in touch" he said and strolled out.

Sephiroth sighed in impatience. "Captain, I shall be accompanying Miss Lockhart until her lawyer arrives" he called to them.

"I don't have one" she said. Sephiroth was shocked at this, he employed the best one in town and had an investment banker handling his considerable fortune and stock portfolio. Who didn't have a lawyer?

"Okay, I shall be accompanying her until my lawyer arrives" he said, taking out his PHS.

Sephiroth sat beside the incredibly pale looking Tifa and thought she looked at guilty as all hell, both of them silent until her newly appointed lawyer arrived.

"Sephiroth, sorry I'm late. Your phone call found me playing golf" Dexter Andrews, Esq. said.

"I thought that it was doctors who did that during the day" Sephiroth replied.

"Why should they have all the fun? "You must be Miss Lockhart, enchanted" he said. She studied him, he was a tall man in his fifties, who was obviously in good shape with a trim waist and broad shoulders, who wore a grey power suit, had a jaw that could have been formed of granite and salt and pepper hair, but had a wide, friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you" she said.

"So gentlemen, what do you have on the obviously pregnant Miss Lockhart that I can get dismissed by the judge in a laughable way?" he politely asked them, taking a seat.

"She had someone steal government property for her personal use" the policeman said uncomfortably.

"Oh did she take someone's stapler? Out with it man, what did my client allegedly steal?" he asked him. The officer just handed him the arrest warrant. "Is accused of stealing a sperm sample from the cryogenic lab of SOLDIER" he said. "Are you joking? Whose sample?" the man handled him another document and he seemed to freeze at the name there and handed it to the frowning Sephiroth. Who was wondering what was going on while a blushing Tifa stared at the table in front of her. She chanced a glance at Sephiroth and could have sworn that the blood had drained from his face.

"This can't be right" he mused.

"I'm afraid it is" Dr. Morton agreed.

Sephiroth looked at the paper again and then blanched and looked at Tifa's abdomen and asked her in a voice with just the tiniest trace of panic that she didn't catch, "Miss Lockhart, how far are you into your pregnancy?"

"Six months" she said.

"For the inseminate, you used this sample the you allegedly paid someone to retrieve for you?" he asked her.

"Yes. I know it was wrong of me to do that," she said.

"So that mean that your child is..." he quietly said.

"Children-I'm having twins" she said and then noticed something odd. It was like Sephiroth had suddenly become a marble statue with pinned on jade jewels that have odd cracks down the center of them.

"Sephiroth, are you okay?" Dexter asked him.

"I need a minute with Miss Lockhart" he said unfreezing.

"We can't allow that" the police officer protested.

"Leave" Sephiroth said in dangerous sounding voice and they did, then his eyes pinned Tifa to her place as he stood up and loomed over her, making her nervous. "Miss Lockhart, do you have some kind of latent crush on me or do you think that my position will bring you prestige of some sort? I'm really not understanding why you resorted to these measures. Though I will admit to being a tad flattered" he said.

"What are you talking about? I just wanted to have blonde babies with blue eyes." she said with a frown.

"Blonde? I supposed you could consider my hair colour to fall under the category of fair, but it doesn't even qualify as platinum blonde, but blue eyes aren't even remotely possible-genetically from me as far as I know" he mused.

"What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with you. The father of my babies is Cloud Strife, a friend of mine copied down his number for me from his chart" Tifa said.

"Our service numbers were very similar, but the last two digits are reversed" he said.

"Wait are you trying to say that my babies are…?" she said her eyes going wide at the idea.

"I'm saying you received the wrong information and ergo, the wrong sample. I'm sure that Cloud's is still there. Now the question is; what are we going to do with you Miss Lockhart?" he asked her in a voice that could have frozen a humming bird in flight. Both people refused to look at each other when the others returned.

"Now Miss Lockhart how do you plead?" they asked her.

"Guilty, lock me up" she said, anything to get away from his accusing expression and now, the fissure bleeding in her heart.

"I'm sorry I can't allow that, now that I know she's carrying my children, as it would appear. She is under my protection" Sephiroth said in a voice that brooked no argument and she could only stare at this.

"But she broke the law" Dr. Morton protested.

"As it was legally my DNA, had I wished to use it for procreation, what is the process to obtain it?" he asked his lawyer, dismissing the doctor's statement completely.

"You would need to sign a request form and I would have to approve it" Dr. Morton said.

"So get me one" Sephiroth insisted.

"She belongs in jail" he cried.

"Backdate it then, I'm single and have had a medical procedure rendering me sterile, so I had to use a surrogate and that would be Tifa Lockhart" Sephiroth said.

"It would solve everyone's problems, be a pal Harold" Dexter said, giving him a winning smile.

"Oh very well, but keep her out of here" Dr. Morton said and went to get a form.

"Miss Lockhart won't trouble you again" Sephiroth said. He signed the form and stood up. "Come Miss Lockhart."

"Dexter, I will need the children to be acknowledged as my own in every way legal way possible and she as their mother, will be their legal guardian should anything happen to me. I need you to draw up and iron clad custody agreement to that effect and we will both be appointing other legal guardians in the event of our demises as well," he insisted.

"Sephiroth just leave me alone" she said in a weary voice, wishing the world would open up and swallow her. How could she had failed so miserably at a simple task? There had been hundreds of men in SOLDIER and she had to pick his sample out of all of them.

Sephiroth was feeling overwhelmed, not that it showed on his face, that the one thing he had never wanted in life was staring at him wearing a red mini dress, not just one baby, but two. How had his day gone so wrong? To find out that it had been an accident on her part made it even worse. He couldn't just walk away from this-from her. They came from him and must be protected as result, he couldn't let someone like Hojo do what had been done to him, on hi... the children.

"You could just marry her, it has the same effect" Dexter said. "The rest is a matter of drawing up wills and a paternity test to establish you as their father."

"No way, I refuse!" she said frustrated and at wits end.

Suddenly he was a marble statute again and stayed like that for a full thirty seconds while they both stared at him. Finally, Sephiroth let out a resigned sigh, "Oh very well, come Miss Lockhart, it seems we are to be wed" he said to her.

"I don't want to marry you" she protested and it falling on crazy, deaf ears.

"You are trying my patience. I've just kept you from doing jail time. I have tried to stay out of your bar and your life and those of your friends, as I was trying to be respectful and not bring back painful memories for yourself. Yet, I keep on being sucked back into your life and I don't wish to be and I have you to thank for it. I have completely changed from the way you knew me to be. You have put me in a situation completely out of my element and you're refusing me when I'm sacrificing my liberty to keep yourself and your little mistakes safe? I think not, we shall wed and right now. Besides, do you think your precious Cloud will wed you when you have been tainted by me, so to speak?" he asked her and she just looked at the ground and silently walked beside him, something in her heart completely breaking away and never coming back.

"Fine" she said so reserved that Sephiroth stopped his badgering. Something about her with a broken spirit due to a broken heart didn't sit well. He knew how she'd loved Cloud and supported him in everything he did, only to be denied because of a memory of a lost girl who had met her fate at the end of his Masamune. Sephiroth shook his head to clear the all to cloying thoughts.

"I agree to it but, the paternity test is not being done when the boys are still in my uterus" she argued.

"Boys?" He questions her.

"Twin boys. The paternity test can only be done after they are born" she insisted.

Sephiroth had an odd feeling in his belly to learn the sex of the children and dismissed it.

"Why?" he asked her.

"There is a chance it can cause me to miscarry and you are not a father if you ask me to take this risk" she said as if in challenge.

"Fine, it can be postponed. I am more than positive that they are based on the evidence. Besides, I am not that much of a monster" he said flippantly.

Tifa had unwashed tears in her eyes, though she remained steadfast and snorted inelegant. "Tell that to my father and my hometown of Nibelhiem…" she said cattily.

Sephiroth willed himself calm and not stoop to her level. He knew why he was doing this.

His lawyer gave them a dubious look in both their directions, sensing the underlying tension.

"You will need a ring, two if you are intending to wear one yourself" Dexter explained slowly to defuse the quiet angst.

They quickly left the police station and were on their way to the jewelers.

"Go to the nearest jewelry store" he ordered his driver as they got into the vehicle, Sephiroth lowering the window to finish talking to his lawyer before pulling off.

"I'll go ahead and get the paperwork ready. I can meet you at your condominium later if you'd like?" Dexter volunteered.

"Tomorrow, I am occupied this evening, we will have to talk about housing arrangements anyway" Sephiroth gestured to Tifa loosely as if the woman wasn't there, making those angry tears hard to hold in.

This was the absolute worst day of her life. If she didn't already love her children so much, she'd seriously be considering options, late in pregnancy or not. No wonder Lucrecia Crescent locked herself away. Sephiroth and Hojo…that was a volatile situation.

They made their way to a high end jeweler. She couldn't hold them anymore, her hormones and just the day had won.

"Pick one" he said impatiently to her while she bent over the display.

"You look a diamond girl to me" the friendly jeweler said.

"I don't know" she said as the first tears dropped from her eyes, making the clerk concerned and startling Sephiroth.

"Are you well dear?" the clerk asked genuinely concerned while Sephiroth had frozen again on the spot but quickly recovered this time. "She's just so excited that I am making her an honest woman and very happy. You know how pregnancy hormones can also amplify everything as well?" Sephiroth said talking smooth out his asshole, while Tifa continued to have tears streaming down her face.

She was so overwhelmed and Sephiroth was such an ass. Beautiful: always had been. Smart and cunning: got it in one. Complete colossal asshat: BINGO!

Much like Dexter did, the clerk nervously shuffled for a moment like a bird that had been ruffled but the settled because at the end of the day, a crying 6-month pregnant female with a man of monster height, presence, publicity-wise did not outweigh the possibility of a huge sale. So much for care in the world. Tifa felt nauseous for the first time since her first 6 weeks of pregnancy.

"What is your budget?" the clerk asked Sephiroth. Figures.

"Whatever she wants" Sephiroth all but growled.

"What do you like?" he encouraged her.

"Just a plain band is fine, show me the cheapest one" she said, not caring anymore.

"Cheap? You want people to think that I can't afford a proper wedding band?" he snapped. "Where and what are the more expensive ones?"

"Platinum and here" he replied.

"How about this one? Small but set with diamonds?" he asked Tifa. "Here is the matching one" he said handing it to Sephiroth, who jabbed it indifferently onto his wedding finger, nodded at the clerk to indicate it fit, before jerking it off and putting it on the counter as it had scaled his flesh. Certainly the glare he gave it could have melted it right only the glass.

"Great, try it on" he ordered her and she silently did, it was a perfect fit. "Here is my credit card" Sephiroth said throwing it at him indifferently.

"My, why aren't you a bully" the jewelry said accepting it, trying to laugh off how he'd most likely sold a set of wedding rings to bona fide enemies, not lovers. A piece of his soul died for that commission.

"How am I a bully? She is carrying my child...children. I am marrying her and you are trying my patience by delaying our purchase" he snapped. "Do you know who I am?" he asked him.

The clerk, Darren, had had enough and now that Tifa really looked at him and he at her, he knew why the situation was off. The man was as huge as Barrett and selling fine high end jewelry.

"Yes, you were the pipsqueak baby General playing God, all the while crying for your 'mother,' while all of us real SOLDIERS did all the work and you took all the glory. Each and every of you super enhanced first class pretty boy freaks went mad in some way and the world was better out without you. Tell me, General Sephiroth, what you do to get her pregnant? Rape her perhaps? Seems like your style. Oh, I know exactly who she is and I know now why the tears. Sometimes being around stuffy folk makes you lose focus, wouldn't you agree, Miss Lockhart?" he said with a sneer to Sephiroth and a sympathetic and self deprecating smile to her.

Sephiroth was livid. His eyes were wide, pupils narrowed down to slits. Tifa had since long stopped crying when someone recognized her for her merits, her deeds. Like euthanizing Mr. Big and Bad, twice. Somehow when that last thought cleared, she didn't feel satisfaction, she felt actual sadness. Odd.

"How dare you, I worked hard for my title" he said in a deadly calm voice. "What are you doing now besides selling illusions?"

"I sell dreams, not illusions. When someone gives a piece of jewelry, it is because they love that person. You obviously don't love this young lady or you wouldn't rush her like this, then there is the tension between the two of you, thick enough to cut with Zach's Buster sword. If you're on your way to your wedding; where is her gown, where are her friends? Is this truly even happening or is it just the mockery of marriage it looks like?" he said flicking his eyes towards Tifa, who was just watching the exchange.

"Why we are marrying is our business. You are tempting me against all my better judgement to strike you where you stand" Sephiroth calmly said.

"What a shock: you threaten someone's life when they're too close or a dead ringer to the truth *yawn* I shouldn't even have to deal with people like you. Welcome back, General. Never darken my door again. As for you, Tifa, feel free to come back whenever you wish. I know a good divorce lawyer." Darren said with a wink to Tifa and against her better judgement, she actually giggled.

Sephiroth was sweating with the effort to not to go back and skewer the man on Masamune and raze that store to the ground.

Tifa sat beside a very silent Sephiroth and was starting to realize he did have emotions indeed, but managed to conceal them very well, it was the subtle shifting of his features that gave them away. His usual neutral face was set like it was stone, indicating to her that he was upset. In actual fact, Sephiroth still shook with the effort of repressing his fury and yet was perfectly still. She didn't know that he had had a quiet word with Dr. Morton and he been a little disturbed to learn that Genesis's, Zack's and Angeal's samples remained unclaimed, but reminded himself that sperm samples weren't like bodies and none of them had been married, but still...

"You were bothered by what he said back there?" she ventured. She knew that Sephiroth hadn't raped her, in fact of all the times, he truly was the innocent.

Her own unhealthy obsession for Cloud had caused this and now they both were suffering. He'd been polite when he did have to come in contact with her. She was the one nothing shy of a bitch when he was around. She was the one hung up on the past in all aspects and it had been 10 years. Cloud fully knew her feelings. . .because she'd confessed to him and then she'd woken the next day to an empty bar/house. Cloud had either fled that night or that early morning.

Sephiroth almost leapt out of his skin at this. No one had ever been able to read him emotionally, but his three close friends from so long ago. Was she some kind of a clairvoyant? He wasn't aware that Tifa was just empathic and very good at reading people.

"I am not in the mood for small talk. After this, you are to go pack your clothes and move into my condominium tonight, my driver shall stay in my office to protect you" he explained to her.

"Protect me from what?" she asked him.

"I have enemies as you might have noticed, he will do until we get you a bodyguard, perhaps a legacy TURK. Can you handle Tseng or maybe Reno or Rude? " he asked, staring straight ahead.

"But what about my bar?" she asked him.

"You shall still run it, but shall have to hire staff, you shouldn't be on your feet so much" he said.

"Do I have to live with you?" she asked him.

"Yes, this marriage must appear valid in every way" he replied.

"But…" she said.

"But nothing, I am just a soul trapped inside a situation you created. Don't blame me for doing what people seem to refer to as "doing the right thing." It's not like you'd let me sweep you off your feet and romanced you" he said candidly and cryptically with his head turned towards the opened window, his head leaning back against the seat and his silvery hair stirring occasionally with the cool breeze from outside from the drive.

He was so beautiful and it made her feel funny inside, and below. She chalked it up to the hormones and chose anger instead.

"Are you even capable of love?" she spat, trying derail the other unwanted feelings.

"Probably not, but you will get used to living with me in time. I won't mistreat you or keep you a prisoner. I can be very fair if you don't overstep your boundaries" he explained.

"Boundaries?" she questioned.

"To be established" he said.

Dexter had everything ready for them to sign and Sephiroth listen for about two minutes while the lady prattled on about the types of ceremonies she could offer them. "As I understand it, we can just sign this paper and we are wed" he said with impatience in his voice.

"Yes but don't you want something more romantic?" she asked him.

"No" he said, pulling out his stamp and stamping the paper.

"I agree" Tifa said in a world weary voice and signed it.

"Is that it?" Sephiroth asked the lady.

"Yes, you may now kiss..." she announced, but Sephiroth just stood up.

"There's somewhere I need to be." Sephiroth blurted.

"Where are you going?" Tifa asked him.

"That is none of your concern. Don't expect me home tonight" he said.

"You're not going to stay with me on our wedding night?" she asked him, feeling relieved if anything.

"Don't you think that you should at least help her settle in?" Dexter asked him, truly baffled.

"Tifa seems the resourceful sort, she even found her way into a restricted government vault" he snidely said, glaring at her and she just looked away.

"Speaking of which, you should consider getting a house" Dexter suggested.

"Why?" Sephiroth asked, clearly baffled at the idea.

"You have three-bedroom condo and you now have a wife and two babies on the way, it would be insane" Dexter explained.

"Do you know a realtor?" he asked him.

"Yes" Dexter barely got out.

"Then have him call me" he said dismissively.

"Goodbye Tifa, I shall be back briefly in the morning" Sephiroth stated waving over his shoulder to her, back turned and walking away.

"But why do I have to go to your place if you're not there?" she asked him.

"You just do" he said coldly and picked up the pace to walk out the double glass doors, turning only to face and answer the last petty questions, leaving her with a saddened and confused Dexter, an even sadder court clerk lady, and Sephiroth's driver.

"Well I don't want to" she began.

"You can go there or my driver, Michael, can drag you. You left me no choice and I'm not leaving you one either. However this came about, it seems that we are yoked together because of your actions. Ironic, I swore never to be a father or a husband to anyone. Yet here I am, because of an unrequited crush you had on another man and a lover that never was" and he walked away without a backwards glance.

That was the last bit that finally truly broke her heart. He was right. He was cold, he was logical, and-he was right. Tifa allowed herself to cry during the trip to the bar, all alone in the limousine.

Tifa let herself into her bar and quickly packed what she needed for a few days, too ashamed to tell her friends what had transpired. The condominium that Sephiroth owned was to be her new home, was small and cramped with dull, practical furniture meant only for function without decorations of any sort, not even pictures. One bedroom was obviously his, with a surprisingly comfortable looking bed. She was surprised to find a small framed photo of a younger Sephiroth, who was actually smiling, while Genesis stood to his right, Angeal his left and Zach whimsically was standing behind them, giving Geneis and Sephiroth rabbit ears with his fingers. It was an odd picture for the stuffy man to display and made it seem liked he was almost human to Tifa.

The other room was obviously his office and the room meant for her was sparsely furnished and it contained only a double bed, chair and small dresser. Beyond that, there was a living room with a decent sized flat screen TV and a chair and a couch, a small kitchen and a three-piece washroom. It wasn't much different from her own place and she found this ironic.

She watched some TV and made dinner for herself and Michael out of a surprisingly well stocked fridge. She retired early and crawled into the unfamiliar bed. "Mrs. Tifa Crescent" she said aloud and burst into bitter tears again, for being married to the second most beautiful person she'd known, Vincent being the third, Tseng the fourth, Rufus Shinra was surprisingly, sixth.

She was truly miserable. She then began thinking about if the children had been Cloud's. He hadn't cared so much as one iota when she laid badly bruised and battered from a fight outside of basic leadership, but when Aerith died. . .it was like he died too. She slowly sunk into her mentally exhausted sleep with negativity in her mind and pain in her heart, for once regretting her rash decision, no matter how much she already loved her children.

Sephiroth opened the door.

"Sephiroth" a silky voice called and he admired the body that reclined on the bed wearing just a garter belt and stockings.

"Hello Scarlet, I hope you're ready" he said, undressing himself.

"Bad day?" she asked him.

"You could say that" he said, padding naked towards her.


	3. Chapter 3

Sephiroth took a shower the next morning, having enough of a conscience that he didn't want to face Tifa smelling like a brothel. In hindsight he should have been a tad kinder to her, but the situation had overwhelmed him and had forced his hand and made his need to spend the night with Scarlet all the more prevalent. It was a good thing that Scarlet had had Mako injections because a normal woman would have been corpse this morning at how forcefully he had taken her.

Scarlet yawned stretched and put on Sephiroth's jacket as a lark over her bare skin, liking how it smelled like him. They had been together for about eight months and she secretly hoped for more one day. She placed her hand in his inner pocket and frowned when she felt paper there. Thinking it an old receipt or something, she pulled it out, enjoying snooping a bit in his life. However, what she found made her gasp.

"Why are you wearing my jacket?" He asked her.

"Why did I find a marriage certificate for you and Tifa Lockhart?" she demanded.

"Because we got married yesterday" he said, pulling his underwear on.

"What!? I didn't even know that you two were involved. Why is this first time I'm hearing about it?" She cried in outrage.

"We're not, it is actually like something out of a comedy. She got artificially inseminated with what she thought were Cloud Strife's children because someone gave her my service number by mistake and she had someone steal my semen from a cryogenics lab. So we got married for legal purposes, oh and we're having twins" he said in causal voice that caused Scarlet to want to scream.

"So why did you marry her?" She demanded.

"I just told to you: she's carrying my children" he said as if she were dense. "It's just a marriage on paper and won't change anything about us."

"How will nothing change about us? You have a wife now" she snarled.

He got into his pants and boots. "Are you jealous? You know that I don't like that in a woman. Yes, I am married, but she is also my ex-enemy after all and heavily pregnant. I am so certain will want me in a physical way after I impaled her all those years ago...and not in a way that a woman enjoys" he said with sad sarcasm, as he normally did when something pressed a terrible memory.

"I'm not jealous, but of all the women in the world, why did it have to be that slut?" She complained.

"I'm new to being a husband, but I rather resent you using that sort of language to describe someone who technically is my spouse. I owe her that much respect. So kindly cease to do so in my presence" he ordered her.

"So you have feelings for her now?" She snarled.

"I barely know her; she has certainly grown into an attractive woman and seems to have the respect of many people, she is, as I recall, a brilliant martial artist and kind and loyal" he said, just saying what he had observed about Tifa and that made Scarlet want to claw her own eyes out with each word of praise he dropped regarding her rival.

"Are you going to live with her?" She demanded.

"She's at my place now until we relocate" he said.

"To where?" She asked him.

"Well to where we buy our house" he replied, not understanding the problem and wondering if perhaps she was close to her time of the month.

"I haven't ever seen your place and you have her living there?" she asked him incredulously.

"She is my wife, where else would she live?" He asked her with a shrug, not seeing the problem.

"I'm your lover, she is beneath me" she challenged him.

"I'm not with her, it is a slip of paper that means only a photocopy of something that was never meant to be. All we shall do is be together in name only, having two children in common, then I'm certain a nanny shall be engaged and we shall lead separate lives" he assured her.

"You said you never wanted kids" she reminded him.

"Well fate intervened and we are both slaves to her folly" he said.

"So where is your wedding ring?" She asked him sarcastically.

"I have one as they came in a set, but I am not the sort to wear jewelry, I might wear it to special events I guess" he mused not noticing the anger burning in Scarlet's eyes. "Now, I must go. I have a new wife that I'm sure is very irked at how I left things between us. If I could have my jacket back please?" he said as gently as possible, wondering why attitude was coming off of her in waves.

"Sure, here's a little wedding gift from me" she said with a devilish smile and handed him his jacket and before he knew it, her mouth was clenched onto the right side of his Adam's apple with the force of a leech. If there was one thing Scarlet could brag about, it was the force of her suction and she used it big time on him on a place that his bangs refused to cover, his hair parting easily to show her brand upon him.

Sephiroth felt himself blushing as he examined himself in the elevator mirror on the way up to his place and nodded politely in recognition at his "nodding neighbour," whose name he didn't actually know, he only knew her from seeing her around the building with her two children. The dark haired woman seemed to suppress giggles at the prominent red-purple mark on his neck and he could have sworn that her tiny little human daughter was laughing at him behind her mother.

This. Was. Going. To. Be. So. Bad.

On an average man, a hickey was prominent, on his own snow white skin, it glowed like a beacon. He suddenly had the urge to run to a drugstore and see if he could find concealing makeup to match his hyper pale skin tone.

He let himself into his place stopped in shock at the domestic scene of his chauffeur wearing only half of his uniform and seated at his kitchen table with his wife and they appeared to be having breakfast together.

"What is going on here?" He demanded.

"Sir, I was just finishing breakfast. I shall go finished getting dressed" he said abruptly standing and fleeing the kitchen.

"General" Tifa said in a voice that could have curdled cream. He examined her, struck by her beauty again and saw it was all natural, she wore not a speck of makeup and her complexion was flawless, her carmine eyes were enhanced by the pure blackness of her loose hair that was almost as long as his, if not longer. Had she had a tail, she would have looked like a pregnant mermaid. She wore a simple blue sleep shirt that terminated almost at her knees, but rode up enough to expose long legs. Even in her condition, she was easily one of the most desirable women he had ever met. She sat there in the wooden chair in her simple garment, yet it was like she was a reigning queen about to pass judgement on one of her not-so loyal subjects. Finally, she deigned to look at him and froze at what she saw.

"Miss...Tifa" he answered back, trying not to blush.

"What is that on your neck?" She slowly demanded.

"That is none of your concern" he replied in his own frosty voice, his sense of self preservation kicking in.

"That's a love bite. You forget where I am from, where I grew up, and honestly, where I work. You left me alone on the night of our wedding, in this crappy condo so you could get laid?" She all but snarled at him. "I'm sorry, marriage of convenience or not; do that strike you as being the way to treat a new spouse on any level?"

"What's wrong with my place? I have needs like any other male and had pre-arranged to meet the single lover I maintain before this fiasco and was in need to relief. Surely you don't expect me to live like a monk?" He demanded through narrowed eyes.

"I had assumed that you and I...would" she said, feeling kind of hurt by what he was saying.

"Ah, that. Perhaps once you have given birth? I am not given to gentle bed play, I like my sex to be highly aggressive and almost brutal, but still consensual. You have not been enhanced in any way, whereas my lover has been, so I don't really need to hold anything back with her. I'm not a normal man. I could easily hurt you without meaning to. So for the sake of the children, it is better that you stay away from me. If you have lover, feel free to see him, but discreetly and never bring him back to our place" he said.

She looked away "yeah, like anyone would have me in this condition" and seemed to be struggling not to cry.

"I'm not saying you're not desirable, I just don't want hurt you" he said, wondering what to do, having never been an actual relationship before. It boggled his mind that men willing married in the first place.

"I don't have a lover " she said turning back to look at him and glaring at him in challenge. "Oh" she suddenly interrupted.

"Tifa are you okay?" He asked her at how she was touching her belly, yet she was smiling.

"Baby number one is kicking, that means that his brother will start any second, they practically have a kick line thing happening when they both get excited" she explained. "Would you like to feel it?" She asked him.

"I don't know; you're not wearing very much" he said.

"I have shorts on underneath my shirt" she said and lifted her shirt and put his hand on the tight dome of her belly and he actually got a bit startled to feel tiny nudges against his palm and got that same funny feeling in his stomach as when he learned she was having twins. Suddenly it hit him, the children were real and on their way and could interact with them even now and felt overwhelmed, like he was going to start hyperventilating, especially when Tifa said, "Morning boys, this is your Daddy."

"Daddy?" He thought with a wince, hating he moniker. "Why are you talking like that?" He asked her, his eyes wide and scared.

"It's good to talk to babies while they are in the womb so they will get to know your voice. Say something" she said.

He looked down at her belly and said in a dubious voice "hello, my name is Sephiroth, but I guess you will have another form of addressing me. I'm not really comfortable with being called Daddy. Father, I don't mind so much, I'm sure we can reach a compromise. Oh this is stupid, I feel ridiculous. They can't hear me!" He said dismissively and pulled his hand back.

"Then why are they kicking even harder now?" she asked him, giving him a crooked smile that would have been endearing to anyone else.

"I have to go into the office" he dismissively said, going into his bedroom to change into a fresh uniform and was surprised when she followed him, but as a challenge, he started to strip and noticed that she blushed and turned away when he got down to his underwear and felt somewhat offended at this. "Have you never seen a man naked before?" He asked her facetiously.

"No" she said.

"What, are you saying you're a pregnant virgin?" He said in a strangled voice.

"Yes, if you must know" she replied. "I was saving myself for Cloud!"

"And you plan to have two children with your hymen intact?" He could feel his snowy eyebrows creeping up in shock at her admonition.

"I have a sex toy that I intend to use on myself but, it weirds me out and I don't like the cold rubbery feeling of it, I just couldn't bring myself to...to do that yet" she said with a full body blush.

"Yes, I can see that being unpleasant" he said with an answering blush. "So then the only thing to go inside you, was at the fertility clinic where you were inseminated? Which makes me wonder why they didn't catch you then, my stolen sample would have been reported as they need check that all sperm samples are obtained by legal means before they proceed" he mused.

"I didn't use a clinic" she admitted.

"Then how?" He asked her.

"I used a turkey baster."

"My sperm was in a turkey baster?" He asked her in faint sounding voice, obviously not liking the idea. "Did you even sterilize it?" He demanded.

"No I basted my turkey, sucked you up and plunged you in. I must say that you are very generous with your portions, I had enough for two attempts; the first one didn't take" she said sarcastically.

"I was fourteen when it was taken, it's not like I had a lover back then, hell masturbation was a big deal at the time" he said defensively.

"Oh my goddess, I keep forgetting how young you were when forced into your role. That's horrible. You should have been playing video games, not war" Tifa said, aghast at the idea and suddenly shocked at who must have demanded the sample from him.

"It wasn't that bad" he said, trying not to blush at the memory of the bare breasted nurse Hojo had hired to "milk" him, his fourteen-year-old self had certainly approved, hence the abundance of the sample.

"But for them to have done that to you" she said.

"For your information, I this is why I never wanted children because I never wished what I had experienced on anyone else, let alone an offspring of myself that...that could be taken by law from it's mother and... just" and Sephiroth fizzled out as if all the words had just run out. Tifa knew though. She knew that Hojo could have the child or children taken away from their mother, from HIM, and experimented on because he, himself was thought of as a "it", a project, a specimen and NOTHING more.

Before Sephiroth could move, her arms were around him and his own dangled limply in shock that someone would dare to touch him without his permission, yet it felt good as her belly was nestled against his own and her hair smelled of strawberries, she was so petite he realized. When fully dressed, how she held herself gave the illusion height but standing so close to him, she barely came up to his shoulder. "Sephiroth, it must have been so horrible for you" she said with so much grief in her voice that he stiffened up.

"I don't need nor want your sympathy, what is done is done, hence the necessity of why we are together, the children shall be protected" he coldly said and pushed her away with as much force as he dared. "I'm stronger for enduring what I did. Now unless you want your first sight of a naked man to be right now, I suggest you leave and let me get ready for the office" he said.

"Can I fix you some breakfast?" She asked him.

He was rather surprised by her offer, considering he had just come home after staying all night long at his lover's place and she knew this, yet still wanted to tend to his needs.

"I thought you were too busy making Mark breakfast. The hired help does not expect such privileges" he chided her.

"He's a nice man and he was hungry, it doesn't hurt to be kind to people, it doesn't cost anything" she said in her defense and left.

He joined her. "I don't expect you to cater to me. I shall be home as my schedule permits but don't depend on me for company. Find things to do, take a college course, run your bar, entertain your friends, and well perhaps not here, the place is kind of small" he suggested.

"I'm allowed to see my friends?" She asked him.

"Of course, as I said, I'm not a monster. I'm sure there will be consequences for what we did yesterday and many shall disapprove, but I have you to witness the fact that you did this of your own free will to them. I'm sure we shall all be able to reach a compromise given time and I was even thinking of asking Vincent to be legal guardian of the children should something happen to us" Sephiroth said.

"Why Vincent?" She asked him.

"He's an honorable man that I remember from my own childhood, has longevity on his side and also suffered at the hands of Hojo, so would be all the more motived to keep them safe" he said.

"I approve" she said.

"Okay, I must go. When the realtor calls me, I shall have him get in touch with you. Make a list of the features you want in a home and let him know price is no limit, I can pay cash for your dream house. I shall ask you to pick where we are to live and decorate it, I suspect my taste in decorating a home is lacking" he said looking around his sparsely furnished condo then focusing back on Tifa with those blue-green cat eyes.

"Just how much money do you have" she asked him.

"You're married to a wealthy man. Don't let this place fool you, I don't need much when it comes to shelter, but it won't suit us and I realize that" he said looking around.

"Are you still going to continue seeing... your lover?" She asked him.

"Yes, until she no longer suits me. Have a good day" he said, sweeping from the room without a backwards glance.

Sephiroth could feel all eyes on him as he stepped into the office, he was positive that everyone knew that he had gotten married and seemed frozen in shock at the hickey on his neck that indicated a more passionate nature than anyone remotely thought him capable of. His face was perfectly neutral and all he did was nod politely to his coworkers and then stepped into his own office. He could hear snickers on the other side of the door and actually gave a slight chuckle and smiled himself from inside the safety of his office.

Tifa sat down, conflicted about their conversation. It seemed at some points like they had established a connection, only for him to turn into an iceberg once again. She wasn't sure if she felt sad or relieved that he didn't expect sex from her, but was wildly uncomfortable at the idea that there was another person in their marriage, sham or not. Technically he was cheating, but at the same time, she really had no claim on him. She pulled herself together and texted her friends to tell them to meet her at the bar in an hour. It was time to face the music.

As soon as Sephiroth sat down to start the piled high paperwork, one Zachary Fair snuck into the room and plopped down into his favorite chair across from his friend, firmly crossing his legs and putting his booted feet on the edge of the desk, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot.

Sephiroth had started his work, used to Zach's antics and while trying to be serious, but not looking up stated, "Zachary, how many times have I asked, that you at least keep your feet off my desk if you must barge into my office? "with no real heat and his lips doing their hardest not to smirk.

Aerith apparently knew that he would be alone and seek some sort of familiarity with his revival, so she'd sacrificed her love of Zachary and sent him as well as a sort of "living, breathing consciousness" or moral compass for Sephiroth when he struggled with the darkness and sadness, which he still did. Zach had protested leaving her in the Lifestream alone but all she had did; was promise they would see each other again but in "different shades of light".

With a kiss to Zach's forehead, all thoughts of their shared love were erased from him, only to be rewritten as her being his one true best female friend. With that, he was rising and rising and suddenly found himself on a cliff just outside of a thoroughly decimated Midgar with Sephiroth patiently waiting for him, as if he knew this would happen. It seemed after a quite lengthy conversation, Sephiroth did know what was going on, when in time it was, and how he'd had died.

Sephiroth had had a curious look on his face when Zachary regaled his memories and Aerith was thought of as only a best friend, but never moved to correct that detail, knowing that Aerith worked in strange ways. It made him strangely saddened that she'd removed those deep feelings from him, purposefully downgrading her worth, just so Zach wouldn't have struggled to stay with her.

Back to the present day, Zach bounded out of his chair and dead weight lifted Sephiroth into a bone crushing hug. Sephiroth was as stony as they came, but then slightly relaxed as the man placed him back on his feet and his casually patted Zach's back like the excitable puppy he was.

"Aw man, why didn't you tell me? I could totally have been your best man! Congratulations though, she's a looker and I know that she will make you a good wife, man" Zach spoke about Tifa, reminiscing about when they had dated, but Sephiroth didn't know that.

They both sat back down as they had been before Zach's show of affection, that Sephiroth was used to at times that normally warranted it.

As Sephiroth went about his paperwork again, he spoke to Zach. "Since you are my friend, I will take your praise and compliment for the occasion, though it is a front. Had it been a real wedding, I am more than positive that you would have been in the role you sought."

Zachary was confused and Sephiroth had began to tell him all that had transpired and led to his impromptu wedding. Sephiroth even told him he planned on living as he had before marriage, still taking his mistresses and the like. When Sephiroth sensed killing intent not from his own person, his head shot up to land on Zachary Fair's violet blue eyes. Sephiroth had NEVER saw Zachary as he appeared now and his face actually cowed him for a moment.

"So let me understand", Zach began, as at some point where his feet had rested, he stood before the desk, arms braced in that very place.

"Because of a mistake that I will agree was dangerous, not well thought out and based on the heart that can be treacherous, you married Tifa Lockhart, and plan to still play the field like some perpetual bachelor? Sir, Seph, as my friend; don't you think that's the pot calling the kettle black? Tifa made a colossal mistake, but the rules have changed. There are children involved. Yes, they are not born yet, you forcibly made her marry you only to treat her like this? Stress…stress for her and stress directly transferred to them. They are hurting and haven't been born yet." Zach finished looking at his superior and totally misguided friend who'd stop moving behind his desk.

See this is why he didn't WANT children and the whole process involved. He narrowed his eyes at Zach's tirade and spoke "You are out of line First Class Zachary Fair, I could have you court- "only to be interrupted.

"Go ahead and see how well that flies over Sephiroth. She's one of the freedom fighters that put you down not once, but twice. She even went head to head with you in Nibelhiem. . . Yeah I remember. Remember how you almost cut her in two?" Zach had sat back in his chair, arms crossed across his chest staring at Sephiroth for him to dare. He'd been dating her for awhile then, her cute cowgirl outfit on, bloodied by Masamune's wrath.

Sephiroth wanted to be outraged by this whole turn of events but he knew Tifa in her own way, had her own clout in their world. She and her band of misfits had bested him twice before Aerith sent him back with his act together. Yes, she has stolen government property but one really looking could see that it was out of the heart's despair. She had given Cloud Strife everything and gotten nothing in return and her blinding love had clouded her judgement, its just unfortunate that she's carrying Sephiroth's children. He knew he didn't have to marry Tifa, yet something inside him had said to. They could have just as easily worked out a custody agreement for the children. No, he'd uprooted her from her life, forced her to tell her friends, and while he played single and live with him. That was not a conducive environment for anyone, let alone children.

Sephiroth thought all this in a span of a minute in his mind. Zachary was right. He'd would have to try or this would end badly. He decided that he would not see Scarlet going forward. He knew he couldn't have sex with Tifa for his roughness, so he would persevere.

Sephiroth was slightly startled out of his inner musings by Zach.

"Hello to Sephiroth! Did I get through to you or are you gonna be bitchy about this? Tifa can be your world, ice prince…trust me, I know" Zach said with a smile to Sephiroth, while Sephiroth wondered about his wording somewhat. It seemed that he was to be truly the family man.

Tifa had just gotten out of the chauffeured car feeling so much older than she was.

Her friends, sans Vincent, Nanaki, and Yuffie, took it horribly. They just couldn't understand why'd she'd chose to carry "those abominations" and didn't she know who the father was, and despite him "changing" he couldn't be trusted.

Another, Barrett, simply just said he was disappointed that she hadn't said it was this bad, that she simply felt she HAD to carry someone's children, that hadn't shown her an ounce of that same love back.

Above all the yelling from Cid and Cloud's still apparent absence, that hurt her the most. She couldn't control it then and she'd cried as she had every single day since this all came to light. Vincent had helped her to sit and had glared something unholy at both of the caterwauling men, until they left for good, leaving Yuffie sad for her friend's choices, but excited about the babies. She knew that Sephiroth was beautiful, so there were no problems there. Maybe one would come out looking like Vincent, since Sephiroth looked like him, all angles and Tifa had the burgundy eyes and dark hair. It wouldn't be spot on, but it would be cute and she would dub it "baby Vince".

Vincent, ever the gentleman, was tending to her and making sure she was okay, which was at odds with his always stern face that caused a watery giggle from Tifa. Vincent's eyebrows lifted as he looked at her asking "Are you well?"with his deep gravelly voice to her perplexing action. Nanaki was bumping his head against her legs and she reached to scratch the lion-like creature. She knew that Barrett and Cid would come around, they just needed time.

After she'd sufficiently calmed to Vincent's liking, she hugged Yuffie and gave Vincent a small kiss on the smooth pale skin of his cheek, that oddly enough looked like it was blushing slightly. Vincent helped her to the waiting vehicle and they were on their way.

Before talking to her friends, she'd found this land right outside of Edge, crazier still, her dream house's blueprint on the internet. She'd talked to the man at like 9am the day before and him saying it would have it all taken care of. She'd stayed in her small apartment upstairs to allow her friends to get there, hoping Cloud would come as well, but it didn't happen. Now she noticed that the driver was going the opposite direction of their condominium.

She'd pressed the intercom button to inquire where they were going and he simply said with a laugh "your new home".

New home? He couldn't mean that home? That had been less than a day and a couple hours…

Yet there they were driving up to the very house she'd talked about, complete and…and there on that land she'd talked about! What did they do, empty out Edge's builders to build this house in a day? The power of the name Sephiroth, she thought sadly.

She jumped out before the driver could get to her and a housemaid answered! What the actual fuck? She went through the house finding it just like the blueprints. She'd made a list for furniture the first night she'd stayed at Sephiroth's desolate condominium. Every stitch of furniture was there. She touched her stomach thinking about the boy's room and headed to their rooms. There, in front of her, was each baby's room made how she'd had only dreamed that they could look. Tears sprung to her eyes as she saw the bassinet and wallpaper and the toddler bed in each, with a rocking chair for her. She touched the soft terry cloth stuffed animals and just cried. She then headed for what was to be her room.

It was beautiful. It had a four poster king size bed with two bassinets for the boys should she wish to keep them with her at night and another oversized upholstered rocking chair by the hearth of the fireplace. Her master bath was across from it all and the bathroom had French doors that lead to the backyard that had a large swimming pool and hot tub.

Tifa just sat down on the edge of the bed thoroughly overwhelmed, but enjoying this after the day she'd had.

She knew she had no right to snoop, but she was curious about Sephiroth's room, knowing that the man would have talked to the realtor as well, if nothing but for the financial aspects. She crept down the hallway, passing some of the servants until she reached his room. Slowly, as if he'd jump out from somewhere, she entered.

It was gorgeous. Though the room was dark wood and black, it had splashes of the Orient everywhere. Cherry blossoms, even on the katana that rested above his dark platform bed. A large tatami mat acted as an accent rug, the fireplace in his room looked like it was from nature. The attached bathroom was a fucking man made hot spring surrounded by flowers and plants. The French doors in his also led to the backyard, his more accessible to an apparent dojo they had as well. He was ostentatious even when not here. He definitely left his mark. As she was coming out, she smacked into something that smelled of leather and vanilla and had a pale chest and…. oh hell.

"I see you've saw all of the house. Does it meet your standards? "Sephiroth asked in that low, sensuous voice.

Did it meet her standards? Was he still crazy? A mansion, complete with servants and utilities all built and ready to go in 24 hours?

What instead came out was "Sephiroth, did you use a mastered time materia and build this house yourself, because…24 hours? "Tifa struggled with her words.

"Eloquent and ever astute, Tifa. No, I am not a builder but there are many ex-SOLDIERS that now are and are excellent with mastered materia, in this instance 50 I believe and paid handsomely for such wonderful work, would you not agree? "he teased.

"Yes…thank you" Tifa said shocking Sephiroth with her thankfulness.

"Nothing to be thankful for, you are my wife and carry my sons, it is as it should be and after seeing her face so elated and thankful, he tentatively reached up with his gloved hand and rubbed his fingers lightly against her face, she instinctively followed the warmth of his hand.

He took in what he was doing and withdrew from her as if she had burned him, turning about face, he walked out the room and towards the kitchen, leaving a bewildered Tifa there to touch her cheek where his large hand had just been.


	4. Chapter 4

Sephiroth had lived with Tifa a month and to say it was a period of adjustment for both, had been an understatement at first. He had had to not only get used to living with someone else, but having to interact with that much more social person, who seemed not to listen when he said he could take care of himself. He tried to keep to his own routines, but had her constantly there with him. She would join him every morning, looking bright eyed and bushy tailed and would prattle cheerfully on about her day ahead, while he attempted to read the paper and silently eat his breakfast. He would go to the office for peace and quiet, only to have his time interrupted by phone calls regarding what he would like to eat for dinner, his requests that he would manage that for himself falling on deaf ears. When he requested no more calls, he got texts instead.

When he went into the dojo for his nightly workout, she would be right in there with him doing low impact aerobics or yoga and distracting him by wearing very brief workout clothes and sometimes he would find himself frozen in place while holding his Masamune while he stared at her.

She was a distraction in every way and the worst part was: he liked it. He came to enjoy being with her, she was a tiny powerhouse that kept on going and going. Always busy, always kind and took care of him, not as if he were feeble minded or infirmed, but as a person she just liked and respected. It was like she was forcing the role of husband on him.

Then there was the part about how she seemed to be able to read his emotions like he was an open book and that unnerved him. She had explained how she did it; it was subtle ways his feature shifted. How his shoulders would go ridged in anger; little signs like that. Okay he now accepted she couldn't read his mind but it was still irritating how he would come home with his face perfectly neutral, only to receive a hug for having a 'bad day'.

Then there were her friends, some were not huge fans of his and probably never would be but they accepted him when he was in their presence, they had to, it was his house after all and their friend was his wife. Girl's nights happened once in a while and he actually had started accepting invitation from the males of the group, who offered him something to do out of sympathy.

The worst part of the situation was that he had developed actual feelings for her and fought them, reminding himself that their marriage was an illusion and nothing more. Yet couldn't bring himself to even consider sleeping with Scarlet anymore and happily came home every night to be with Tifa, her smile of greeting and a kiss on his cheek from her making him feel...

Tifa laughed out loud and was glad the Zach had opted to come early to their pool party, where Sephiroth had intended to wear his full leather uniform with sunglasses being his only concession to the occasion. He had taken one look at him and dragged him into his bedroom and had somehow convinced him to change into dark blue swim trunks and a white t-shirt. She knew that her husband did have other clothes but preferred wearing his armor and didn't comment on this, figuring it just made him feel more secure. Besides, he looked good in them.

Zach, himself wore a pair of grey swim trunks and a Hawaiian shirt that he kept unbuttoned and he was helping Sephiroth with the grill as they prepared food for their guests. Zach the one person in the world who could get the straitlaced Sephiroth to smile and laugh. She studied them, they were bipolar opposites when it came to male beauty, her husband being so pale, leaner and fair whereas, Zach was broader, shorter and darker. Personality wise, they were like day and night.

Zach was witty, friendly and outgoing and Sephiroth was...

Sephiroth was intelligent, polite and ...dull.

Sephiroth thought that Vincent looked just an uncomfortable as himself in a pair of tan swim trunks with white cotton t-shirt and knew the feeling, like himself, he felt more comfortable wearing his leathers. He nodded politely at him when Tifa approached Zach and himself.

"Would you like another beer?" she asked, them holding them out.

"You read my mind" Zach said, taking a pull long pull off his beer.

Whereas Sephiroth took his and put it down. "Tifa if you are not going to heed my warnings about the proper application of sunscreen, at least put on your beach cover up when not in the pool or you will get a nasty sunburn" he said, looking at the black bikini she wore.

"Listen to you being a husband" Zach said, clapping him on the back and then draping an arm around him. "I must say Tifa, pregnancy agrees with you. But you always did look good in a bikini. Remember that blue one you used to have?" he asked her.

"The one my father forbade me to wear?" she asked him.

"But you did anyway and you would do this special dance for me?" Zach teased her.

"Oh stop it" she said striking his arm.

"What's this?" Sephiroth asked them.

"Tifa and I used to date as teenagers" Zach explained.

Sephiroth could feel himself getting angry, but was trying not to show it. His friend had dated his wife? And had the nerve to bring up past memories of their past relationship right in front of him, this was intolerable! He suddenly couldn't help noticing that Zach was good looking. To make it worse, he was personable, knew how to talk to people and had a great sense of humor; everything that Sephiroth didn't.

"Are you okay, Sephiroth? You look like you want to beat someone" Tifa observed.

"Wow how did you do that?" Zach asked her.

Sephiroth however, just put his arm around Tifa in a possessive way. "I'm fine, I'm just admiring how beautiful you look" he said, glaring at Zach who just smiled back, not knowing how close he had come to death. Tifa however, certainly enjoyed the attention she was receiving from her husband whenever Zach and herself found themselves alone together...and he was suddenly right there showering her with compliments and acting possessive of her.

Tifa giggled when everyone had left. "Jealous much?" she asked him.

He froze at this. "I have nothing to be jealous about. I could care less if Zach and yourself dated" he coldly said.

"He was a great kisser as I recall" she wistfully said.

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed to slits at this, "oh really? How wonderful for you."

"Perhaps one of the best kissers I've ever met" she mused.

"I have some work to do in my office, I shall go get changed" he said seething while walking away.

"I guess I'll go take a swim" she said.

Sephiroth actually did have some work to do after he had slipped into his normal clothes, but sat there reading the same line over and over again as he pictured his friend kissing his wife. How good could a kiss be? He had given them to lots of women himself and had never had a single complaint in that department. Of course he had never kissed Tifa, even though her full lips practically demanded kisses. He had been tempted to do so many times. The more he thought about Tifa kissing Zach, the more irritated he became.

Finally, he went to find her still floating in the pool and swam to him.

"Still brooding?" she asked him with a smirk.

"Why didn't you tell me you dated Zachary?" he demanded.

"Now it's "Zachary"? Does it matter? It was so long ago" she said.

"He's a friend of mine. What other secrets have you been keeping from me? Would you get the hell out of the pool so we have can a proper discussion?" he demanded.

"Help me out" she said, giving him her hands while bracing her legs against the pool. Sephiroth grabbed her arms to pull her out, but with a quick tug from her, he fell into the water: boots, pants, harness, leather coat with silver pauldrons and all. Tifa stood still as he surfaced and spat out water, his glowing eyes pinned her and she expect retribution for being so cheeky, instead she stared back as Sephiroth let out a laugh.

"I'm going to get you for that" he said in a voice full of good humor, sounding quite unlike himself, that the small woman had bested him and took off his jacket and set it on the pool edge. They were both soon laughing at he swam after her, even at seven months' pregnancy she swam like a fish. He finally managed to grab the back of her bikini top, when with a tearing sound and he was holding it in his hand and she turned around in shock and her now even larger breasts were revealed to him in all their naked glory and they certainly were glorious. They stared at each other, he in hunger because he had been sexually deprived and her in a mixture of hunger and slight fear of the unknown. It was him that closed that gap as his mouth ravished hers and his bare torso met her own. She returned his heated kisses with her own, leaning back, she said. "Please make love to me."

"Tifa...I... I could hurt you" he said, his voice thick with desire and so wanting to.

"I trust you. I know you could be gentle if you wanted to be" she said.

"I don't know how" he said, struggling against what she was offering him.

"Please" she said and before he knew it, she was laying on his bed and both were naked.

"I...can't" he almost begged her, his resistance at an end when she reached for him.

She shivered as his wet hair brushed her thighs as he knelt between her splayed legs. It felt so good as he went up and down and round and round with his tongue, swirling on her clit in a way that intoxicated her. He plunged his tongue into her now drenched core, tasting the essence that belonged only to her and it madden him. She seemed trying to wiggle away from his probing tongue but he pinned her down, refusing to let her. Her pleas and cries that it was too much fell on deaf ears as wanting, no demanding her climax. This was his. This was for him and belonged to him alone and he was taking what he wanted from her. With a sharp cry, she gave it to him.

He leaned back, shaking inside at what she wanted him to do. He wanted to run away. Fly away, do anything but hurt his petite and thoroughly human wife. His eyes fell on her belly and that only amplified his fears. She leaned up and cupped his cheek.

"You won't hurt me; you won't hurt them. I need you to love me" she softly said.

His face was neutral as ever, but she could read the fear in his eyes. His eyes were different than other men but could be just as expressive as human eyes. Soundless, he leaned forward so that his arms supported his weight and placed his tool at her entrance. He looks at her for signs of wanting him to stop when he felt the resistance of her hymen but saw only acceptance and something else, with the slightest of surges forwards, he was buried in her and stood stock still at her small cry of pain.

He bit his lip as the urge to slam into her nearly overcame him, he was now physically shaking with desire, need and emotions he didn't want to look too closely at.

He started to move inside her at a gentle pace and hoped she thought his trembling was from their intercourse. The way she started to move her hips in time with him, let him know that her pain had dissipated to be replaced by pleasure and she leaned up for a kiss and he stole her breath with it.

It was too much for him, he had to stop.

He felt overwhelmed at the raw emotion of their first coupling as the foreign feelings intensified. It was like all of his defenses had been stripped away and he had nowhere to hide. Now that he had held Tifa, tasted her and was inside her, all control shattered. It was like he had been stripped bare emotionally as well as physically, it was shocking, but he couldn't stop at the glorious sensation as she clenched onto him and she arched into her first bodily orgasm.

Sex had never felt this way before, gentle yet passionate at the same time, she whimpered his name like a prayer and this caused him to join her flow with his own.

He carefully pulled out of her and padded to the washroom to retrieve a warm washcloth to bathe the semen and virgin blood from her and sat down and pulled her into his lap, basking in the moment. Feeling calmer.

"Your hair is going to turn into a tangle if you don't brush it" she chided him.

"I suppose I should" he replied and went to get it and was surprised when she took it away and began to brush it for him. "You have a hair fetish now?" he asked her.

"As long as it's soft and silver in color" she said with amusement in her voice.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked her, his emotions back under control.

"No, I told you wouldn't" she said, hugging his from behind.

"How can you trust me when I..." he began and gently touched her scar.

"That wasn't you" she said. "This is you" she said tracing a finger alongside his face.

"Do you-like me?" he asked her as she continued to brush his hair, enjoying the feeling of it.

A kiss was pressed to one of his bare shoulder and she rested her cheek against the warm flesh of his back "I know that you're careful with your emotions, but don't be scare Sephiroth, you have every right to fall in love" she whispered to him.

He leapt to his feet at this and stood trembling before her. "Fall in love. With you? You have to be joking. All you are to me is a nuisance, interfering in my life. Driving my lover away. Taking away my freedom and now you're demanding my heart too. What gall!' he all but sneered at her.

"But..." she protested, pulling a pillow over her nudity.

"You think I'm going to fall for you after one fuck? What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded.

"Sephiroth, I know you love me. I can see it. You can't hide from me as you do other people. You shouldn't have to. It's normal to fall in love, it's healthy. You're not alone anymore. You have me, you will have your sons and you won't believe how much you're going to love them from the second you see them. You're not a monster. You're not someone's pawn. You're not even the damaged child you were who probably hungered for love. You're a man in love who has a woman who loves you back. It's real, it's here and it's now. Didn't you feel it just now when we made love? You can't make love unless you are in love. Face your fears and tell me you love me" she all but challenged him.

"I don't love you. I don't feel a thing for you. In fact, although your fuck whetted my appetite. I think I shall go see Scarlet" he said in chilly voice to cover his confusion.

"Scarlet? Your lover is Scarlet? How could you even touch that thing? She was after you when you had your mental breakdown and your insane self wouldn't touch her. Now that you're rational, you chose her as a lover?!" Tifa demanded.

"I'm sorry you disapprove. She's twice the woman you are" he taunted her.

"Get out" she said with her voice shaking with repressed sobs.

"Tifa, I..." he said suddenly concerned.

"Go fuck your whore because I don't care what the hell you do" she screamed at him and ran to her room.

"Thank you, I will" he said wrenching on his clothes and flying to Scarlet's place, trembling with rage.

He stopped in front of Scarlet's place and didn't even bother knocking and just opened the door and walked in.

"Sephiroth?" Scarlet questioned. "Are you okay?" she asked him at his odd behavior, she gasped as he tore her dress off.

"I'm not in the mood to discuss my feeling with anyone. Is that clear?" he said and she nodded in fear and excitement. "Better brace yourself, it's going to be a long night."

Zach had offered Vincent a lift and they were half way into the one-hour commute to his place when he realized he had left his PHS behind and the kind hearted Zach had turned around. "It's okay, I don't have plans for later and I can't live without my own" he said over the polite Vincent's protests. He pulled up to the now silent Crescent mansion and both people knocked on the door.

"Hello Tifa, I'm sorry to disturb you... what's wrong?" Vincent said to see her crying.

Zach quickly came as well to her defense.

"Come Vincent, let's go put on the kettle for tea while Tifa explains what Prince Charming has done to upset her" he said stepping into his friend's place and placing an arm around her.

Sephiroth didn't even bother saying goodbye to Scarlet and too preoccupied catch the camera flash as he did up his trench as he left in a fuming rage.

He let himself into his office, deciding to stay there for the night and stretched out as best he could on the cramped couch there with the realization that Tifa may have been right, he hadn't even been able get it up for Scarlet. All he could do was think about Tifa and that prevented him. He now no longer would be able to take lovers. Tifa had ruined him and made him a honest married man by simply loving him.

Sephiroth turned pale when his secretary showed him his picture in paper the next morning with the headline that read. "Married General Caught with Scarlet Woman."

The phone was ringing off its hook it was all the poor receptionist could do to keep up with answering them.

Rufus Shinra was livid, Reeve Tuesti was too, just on the merit that Tifa was his old comrade and best friend.

Sephiroth knew he was well and truly screwed for his unbelievably selfish actions. He sat at his desk with the scandal glaring up at him from the desk and covered his face with both hands. Even though the night had been completely fruitless in his attempt, the fact that he had attempted to continue to cheat on his wife had ruined his wife's good name.

Tifa's PHS was ringing off the hook across town in their home. She didn't even have the strength to look to see who it was. She figured it had something to do with Sephiroth. Maybe he had decided, after he'd bewitched her out of her one and only last gift she had left of her body, to do away with her? She would have almost welcomed another ride on his Masamune if the twins weren't in existence at how depressed she felt. How could she have been so stupid? She had been so sure; she had just needed to hear it after they had been so intimate.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

In a general store off of the edge of Bone Village, a young man and young woman picked up foodstuffs and general housing needs, when the male of the two past the tabloids. Normally not one to be swayed by anything going on in the general populace, especially in the last couple of months since he'd had his ward to look after however, this one struck a negative cord.

There, one the headlines spoke of the General Sephiroth's Infidelities with Scarlet.

He hadn't even been aware that the good General was alive and kicking enough to be married. What shocked him the most was his alleged spouse: one Tifa Lockhart.

He'd known he'd been absent and distant, but he wasn't aware that it had come to this. After paying for the foodstuffs and gathering the young woman on his bike, Cloud Strife was coming back to Edge to get to the bottom of the situation, Fusion Sword in hand.

When Vincent saw the news speaking about the incident, he was filled with such anger and disappointment in Sephiroth. Did the boy have no honor left in him to see that Tifa would have been an excellent balm for his internal wounds? She was naturally motherly, had a friendly and easygoing smile and any idiot could see she was starting to truly care for him. Why this now? He would end up with his own Lucrecia complex from this? But not without Vincent beating some sense into him first. With a flourish of red material, Vincent swept out of the room and into the streets on his hunt.

Zach tore the paper in half.

He could not believe that his friend, mentor, and superior had done this shit again! Didn't he learn anything from Meteorfall? Here he was again, in the public eye for negative reasons. What really bothered Zach at the heart of this all, was Tifa. Tifa was a total innocent to Sephiroth's devil-may-care personality, but not Zach and not Vincent, who was now ringing his PHS. Sephiroth would see them both really soon.

Cloud sped through the badlands on Fenrir at top speed. Yes, he had his precious cargo on his back and she clung to him just so as they moved to and fro getting to and reaching the outskirts of Edge, curiously passing a larger mansion right on the cusp of the city that hadn't been there before and seemed to be a new fairly new establishment, but Cloud dismissed it, figuring it a Rufus conquest.

He and his partner soon rolled into the familiar town and went straight for Seventh Heaven. Once the bike was secured in the back shack that had always been there, he made his way into the building only to be facing two familiar faces, one he hadn't seen since his teens.

"It's good to see you Spikey. Somehow I just knew you were out there and that if Tifa was ever in trouble, you'd come around." Zach said taking in the shocked face on the smaller blond.

"How, how long have you been back?" Cloud asked so heartbreakingly. He had missed so much all because of his self-imposed hermit behavior.

"As long as knucklehead has been back. I was sent back to be his conscious and a friend. A lot of help I did in the first regard" Zach laughed, self depreciatingly.

"That's not your fault. I take it that Sephiroth is then cured of…"

Cloud just couldn't say the creatures name and just moved forward.

"This is just his arrogance then that has caused this. How did he force her to marry him in the first place? I know Tifa and what…Tifa had wanted and it wasn't tall, pale, and asinine" Cloud played off that everyone knew that Cloud had been Tifa's first choice, he had just run and refused the responsibility of her feelings.

Before anyone else could speak, the young woman that had been his partner walked in.

"I am sorry I got distracted with the flower shop and…" she froze upon looking at Zachary, and he her.

"Aerith? But how and when, how long?" Zach's heart hurt at a memory that had been suppressed.

"Zach-as in Zachary Fair? Oh…Oh it has been too long! The Planet blessed you and returned you as well I see!" she said running to hug him.

Cloud and Vincent took in the scene. While it was intimate, it was not the same intimacy that the two had shared. Cloud knew that Aerith would always speak of Zach since her revival as a "best friend", not a lover that had past, secretly wondering if she hadn't done something to both of their memories before their return.

"I have been back about seven months. Cloud found me in the Ancient City praying on the alter. I can remember some of my friends and my past life, but some parts are…vague and the Planet will not repair or reveal those thoughts to me" she admitted sadly.

Cloud and Vincent thought that best in the respects of Sephiroth and his brutal death dealing with her, but though Cloud did love Aerith more than life itself, it seemed wrong for her not to know him and properly have chosen him by choice, not amnesia. It seemed a cop out.

Cloud instead, focused on the issue at hand and threw the scandalous tabloid upon one of the wooden tables in the Seventh Heaven and pointed at it as he spoke.

"Where is he? I will end him again. If it's not bad enough that she is married to him, he's cheating on her too? How did this happen? "Cloud asked, serious faced.

Both Zach and Vincent dreaded the question but it needed to be answered. Vincent, surprisingly, took the floor and explained exactly what had happened over the last 7 months.

Cloud blinked.

He blinked again, corner of his eye twitching.

"She what? Why would she…this is my fault for not giving a proper answer to her feelings" Cloud began to pace at speed that would quickly wear a hole in the floor, all the while brooding. "So you mean to tell me that this is a marriage of convenience that Tifa is stuck in because of mistaken…father material. Honestly? Why would he shackle her to him like that, there are shared custody options!" Cloud said irritably.

"That is despite what we see and what has happened, Sephiroth does care for Tifa, but is fighting it. We all know he did not have the best example of emotions or family love so this blatant act out is just that, him acting out, only now it's hurting himself and Tifa" Vincent stated calmly and coolly.

"We'll go to the office and confront him. He has to answer for this point blank, period" Zach said seriously.

All three men agreed and they were out the door on the way to the WRO Headquarters.

Sephiroth had already been well and thoroughly chewed out now in person by an irritated Rufus Shinra while Tseng, who always shadowed the President, looked on somehow with a look of disappointment on his face as well.

Reeve came down as well and told him that "he better fix this and fix this now or he'd be out on his ass, he didn't care who he was and if he was rich from past lives or not, he'd find a way to dry that money up".

To be fair, he had NEVER seen Reeve Tuesti that fired up, so he allowed the man to continue his tirade, if nothing more for the shock value and the emotion behind it. Tifa was loved by many and he had screwed her over literally and now figuratively.

Hours had past and finally things had started to somewhat be calmed as PR went to work to try to repair this fiasco. Scarlet, he'd found, had been placed on leave for indefinite, in other words, banned from the WRO, though she was still on the books. What was being fed to the masses, was that he had been over there talking of less violent weapons and had taken ill at their dinner and had to stay for hours and like any other human and did not sleep in his armor or clothing. It was all such garbage and it ate at his soul. He had no honor and he knew it.

A buzz from his secretary shook him from his musings and she announced that he had guests. He figured them benign since she didn't give specific names, but what he got was a whole off full of fury pro-Tifa, well ENHANCED men looking at him like the bug he was, killing intent on high.

If Sephiroth had any sense, he would have just apologized and went home to his wife and tried to make things right.

No, this was not his way and he chose the hard way, as always. What started as a Q&A to figure what the fuck the man was thinking, if he was thinking from camp Zach and Vincent, quickly turned to planning for war from unified camp with Cloud in lead. Sephiroth was as smug as he was with everything, still unwilling to admit he was just wrong.

"Why should I be sorry for her disrupting my way of life when she stole government property and decided to go ahead and become an unwed mother, based on the foolish notion it would have made you come back if they were your bastards she carried? That is apparently not true, as I know Aerith lives and had been with you. You were such a coward you could not even come to her with that knowledge?" Sephiroth did his best deflecting in sharing Tifa's heartfelt confession, which totally had the opposite effect on them.

"It's true I was a coward and I didn't handle my affairs, something that I will have to talk with her and her alone with, even now. But how dare you use her feelings and the situation as a well to deflect a wrong you committed?" Cloud all but spat back at Sephiroth.

Vincent's claw twitched as he wanted to throttle the boy. Did he not know shame?

Zach was trying, really trying to not beat his friend to death. Him making that smug face all the while talking, like they were all talking about the weather and not the woman carrying his children's feelings. It was too much!

Sephiroth put the final nail in his coffin so to speak on this conversation.

"I owe nothing to the likes of any of you. Besides, before I allegedly slept with Scarlet that day, who I make no secret is my lover, Tifa gave herself to me for her first time. I did no coercion. She came…double meaning implied, as a good wife should have" Sephiroth said crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair, glaring at all the men in the room.

This man…was still a monster! Not only had Cloud's denial or lack thereof, left her emotionally crippled, she had sought to impregnate herself with the hope he'd just come back and do something. Mixed sample later, Sephiroth is in the picture, forcing her to marry him and still living the bachelor life like it's no big deal. On top of that, she'd been…whole. He had taken that and then within 24 hours, had committed this atrocity with Scarlet.

"I'll kill you!" Cloud suddenly lunged for Sephiroth, who had Masamune in hand.

Vincent and Zach were already armed as well and ready to go.

"Fine, peasants, I will oblige you in your failed attempts at saving honor where there is none" Sephiroth deadpanned. Even to him, he sounded just cruel and in heart his hearts, he knew it but he ignored it and lead the fools to a secret alcove that lead to the mountainside along the back of the WRO where he would train.

"Gentleman, we can begin whenever you are ready to be beaten. Three against one, hmm you might have a chance in hell against me. I recall two other upstarts trying this and failing miserably" Sephiroth stated holding Masamune in his left hand at attention.

"You talk too much! "Cloud said bounding right at him, Vincent flanking the left, Zach at Sephiroth's right.

It was like the summons themselves were fighting it was so high powered and high impacted.

Sephiroth, forever smug, parried in the grace and elegance that was all deadly him with his 7ft katana, Masamune. Pressing back Cloud with one armed hand, shooting a Fira from the other hand at Zach, Zack having just enough time to barrier all and blocked Sephiroth's downward swing, but not his punch to the face. Oh so it was going to be like that. Vincent was using materia rounds and using frightening accuracy: A Thundara here, a Fira there, and Watera spell was let go from Vincent's three-barrel gun as well putting out a well-planned Fira for Cloud's face, while Sephiroth held the extreme broadswords at bay.

Cloud and Zach was not having it. They worked Sephiroth overtime, with Cloud going into limit break doing Blade Beam and shortly afterwards Zach finishing with Chain Slash.

Sephiroth was now struggling to keep the men back, actually was now irritated that with their combined forces, he may not win! They all moved like spirits on the wind, so fast the average human eyes would have a hard time catching them.

Sephiroth moved to make his final attack to try to end this and that's when things became interesting for him. Vincent, always the Red Wraith, tackled him, all the while delivering blows while in his incorporeal form, and rendering Sephiroth enraged that there was nothing to strike at. While he was fighting off an all-encompassing Demon, as he could feel Chaos fighting to free himself, his signature very unique and stifling. While Sephiroth struggled with the possessed man literally clawing and punching new holes in his clothing and almost through him, Zachary and Cloud took advantage of the situation. With two well placed, high powered slaps with the broad flat of the Buster Sword and the Fusion Sword and small notice to withdraw, Vincent removed himself and Sephiroth found himself slapped flying backwards about five inches deep into the side of the nearest mountain.

All three men maneuvered over to the fallen General when he didn't immediately just get back up and charge them, angrier than before. Half the mountain face had collapsed on Sephiroth as he seemed to sit in the man shaped hole his large frame had made and he was conscious, which made no sense as to why he didn't advance on them.

Then the weirdest thing happened.

After the three men took in the crumpled, profusely bleeding General and they noticed that he'd covered his eyes and seemed to be…shaking?

What surprised them the most was the sound that came with the shaking, from that 300 lb. frame of pure lean muscle and bone and 6'5 frame: sounds of soft crying.

It was faint but it was there and it was then that the men realized something was terribly wrong with this situation. Sephiroth was borderline indestructible, flame proof and well, an ingenious asshole. Why the fuck was he crying? Had any of them ever seen him cry before? A quick perusal had them landing their eyes on his head, which was all but set open.

Oh.

"It hurts, please make it stop hurting, I swear I will be a good boy" came a watery sounding voice from Sephiroth's direction.

That had all eyes back on the now crying in earnest Sephiroth, who had set his legs spread open and his hands rubbing his streaming tears from his eyes.

"Please! Where is the professor? I…I am scared and I don't know who you all are or where I am or why I am in rocks, is this a learning simulation? Why are you so big?" Sephiroth was looking at the men now and trying to draw in on himself, inside the cave-like hole he'd made.

Zach was really worried now as the wound on Sephiroth's head was closing, but it was painfully slow it seemed, though it took mere minutes and all that silvery hair was dyed a macabre red with Sephiroth's own blood. Even Cloud stayed his hand because he was thoroughly confused.

Zach went to move towards Sephiroth and this only caused him to flinch away more, looking at his eyes, even his pupils were irregular in shape, one larger than the other, indicating that there was some serious brain damage that had occurred but Sephiroth was healing quickly. Vincent lifted his regular hand and for some reason, when Sephiroth looked over to Vincent, he didn't recoil away from him and Vincent had a good guess why now.

"Boy, do you know who you are? Do you know who I am?" Vincent slowly moved towards Sephiroth, removing debris when he bent down.

"My name is Seph… Sephitoh. No that is not right. The professor will get mad if I don't know my own name. My name is Seph-i-roth. Yes, Sephiroth. I don't know your name, but I have saw you many times and you have been nice to me, you bring me candies…when the professor doesn't make you scream or lock you away too. He calls you 'bastard', but that can't be a name, as that's a title, and a swear word" Sephiroth said sadly.

Vincent looked surprised and also saddened that that memory had stuck as well with Sephiroth, while the men behind him gasped at the absurdity of conversation.

Vincent pressed on after the 'man' had been cleared of the debris and just sat there huddled with his arms around his legs, looking warily at the other two men, but had trust in those unevenly dilated slit pupils.

"Sephiroth, how old are you?" Vincent chanced having a good guess if those memories were fresh on his mind.

"I just turned 4 years old, I'm a big boy!" Sephiroth said with an enthusiasm none of them had ever seen the man wear ever in his lives, not even when he was on his holy crusade. It had all been dark smirks and wicked smiles. Not…not this heartwarming smile that was truly real and in front of them.

"You have no idea" Zach whistled and said, to which Sephiroth covered his sensitive ears. He wondered exactly how sensitive Sephiroth's senses were and how much he'd had to block out, and with him being 'a child' again, that filter probably wasn't there.

"Great we broke him" Cloud deadpanned and turned to walk away.

Zach looked at Cloud's retreating back and spoke.

"We can't just leave him like this. Yeah, I wanted to beat some sense into him; it looks like we beat him back to preschool. I know he will heal but even amidst this mess, Tifa will be upset and you know it" Zach said to Cloud.

"Not my problem, he shouldn't have been an over-cocky asshole, then he wouldn't be the equivalent of a fetus right now" Cloud said and kept walking on back to Sephiroth's office.

"I…I will take care of him" Vincent blurted reminding Zach he was there.

"Will you allow me to pick you up Sephiroth? You have a nasty contusion on your healing brain from a laceration from your…fall into these rocks" Vincent said matter of fact to the 'four-year-old' Sephiroth.

Zach looked at Vincent like he'd grown two heads, expecting the 'child' to not understand. He forgot who served as Sephiroth's guardian and how Sephiroth had to be intelligent by 'design' so he didn't mince his words for a child, otherwise Sephiroth would have been destroyed like so much refuse.

"I hate when that happens. I hate not knowing my own strength. My…my caretaker snuck in a puppy in for me and I…I was playing with it and I played too hard or moved too fast and... .and it died" Sephiroth said in between his knees, crying anew.

Vincent was awkward but he was trying. He patted the not blood mottled hair on Sephiroth's head and with a promise of possibly getting him another puppy, Sephiroth allowed him to carry him to the WRO in house hospital. As were getting closer, Vincent with an arms full of Sephiroth and Zach as support for his wayward friend, Sephiroth started to struggle after not so silently sniffing at the air, picking up all the subtle nuances of hospital smells and thinking of another place from his hidden childhood come to life.

"Please don't take me to the labs! I said I'd be a good boy! No more hurting, you promised!" Sephiroth all but wailed, struggling in his very adult, very heavy body, but Vincent subtly shifted him in his arms so he could see him.

"Sephiroth, remember I said that you were hurt earlier? I am taking you to the hospital, not the labs, so that they may look into your wounds, son. I will not let harm come to you further, this I do promise" Vincent said to Sephiroth and the title of 'son' not lost on either Sephiroth or Zach though neither commented because in Sephiroth's little heart, he'd wished this Vincent Valentine to be his father anyway. He was calming.

Vincent let him get down, but Sephiroth no longer struggled and held either hand that was close to him with his own gloved hand and clung to Vincent's side.

After they made their way to the Emergency room receptionist and explained slowly what had happened as a sparring accident, the good General was rushed back and checked thoroughly. Surprisingly enough, in the waiting room sat an indifferent Cloud. Zach knew that he'd cared about Sephiroth in his own way, he'd always had and he chose to wait with Cloud, one hair ruffle happening as he sat down to wait as well.

Sephiroth had to have a MRI to see the extent of the damage. He was also extremely claustrophobic.

Vincent removed his cowl and his claw and all other metal just so he could keep him calm. The staff realized that the General was very hurt and definitely not on his developmental level and were thankful for the man because he calmed Sephiroth. When Sephiroth struggled in the MRI, Vincent sighed softly and began to sing a Wutaian lullaby and this actually had Sephiroth nodding off to sleep.

He had gone to sleep and they left him there with his now bare thumb in his mouth as Vincent allowed the doctor to talk to him.

"He's healing quite fast but as you can see, yes he will experience some age confusion and memory loss as apparently he is four at this time. With his physiology, it can be hours or days to heal a terrible concussion caused by swelling contusions. We can keep him or" and the doctor was cut off.

"No I will see to him. Due to his history, he has a…aversion to hospitals, clinics, and labs" Vincent finished the sentence on a low, uneasy tone, making the poor doctor jump.

"Very well, please let us know if he has any further strange behavior" the doctor stated.

With that, Sephiroth was redressed but still sleepy and therefore carried out like small child he was by Vincent.

Vincent said his goodbyes to Zach and Cloud, stating that he would keep them appraised.

Now the question now was being Sephiroth going to stay with him or would he tell Tifa hot on the heels of this scandal?


	5. Chapter 5

Tifa sobbed in her bed, it was one thing to know that Sephiroth had some undisclosed lover and pictured a pretty and kindly woman where she, herself was in a situation where she couldn't pursue an actual relationship with Sephiroth. Be it to cultural or for religious reason, but this. How could he be with someone so vile! Scarlet cared about no one but herself. She was Tifa's enemy and had tried to kill her, yet he hadn't even warned her! Scarlet! It was such an insult to her as a wife!

But then she had been forced to reflect that he had only offered her a marriage on paper and had initially refused her every overture at forming a relationship with him. He had been as prickly and cuddly as a cactus at first. He had established his boundaries and she had gone out of her way to leap over them. She wanted a real relationship with him, she wanted him to be a father to children in every way, as well as legally, in case the alien DNA that was currently inert in him came out in their innocent children. He was mainly human (not that chilly ass acted like it) and she was thoroughly human.

She had been so sure he was in love with her. Had she been wrong? It was based on so many certainties, how he had gott their home built in record time had at lea st indicated a fondness. It was whole bunch of small things that had led her to that conclusion and now he had gone to Scarlet right after they made love for the first time. She sniffled and then answered the door where a tentative looking Yuffie held out a paper bag.

"I got your favorite, sardines with chocolate ice cream. Oh Tifa, come here" she said hugging her. "How are you holding up?" she asked her.

Tifa still wasn't aware about the scandal as she had been in bed all day long and hadn't read the paper. "I'm so confused. I guess Vincent told you, Sephiroth and I had such a horrible fight. We...we made love and then. Oh I was so stupid. I should have known better. I knew he wasn't ready to say the words but I wanted to hear them from him after we… I all but beat him over the head demanding he say he love me. Fucking pregnancy hormones, one second I want sleep with him, the next cling to him and never let go. ...the next, I want to give him a brain enema straight up his ass with his stupid sword. I mean who has a seven foot katana anyway? He's dull, he's annoying and sometimes I want to punch his damned smirking head in. I hate him. I think" she sniffled, her thoughts all over the place as she ate the fish laden ice cream directly from the carton

"Wait you two finally had sex? How was it?" she asked her.

"Magical, he was so gentle that I was almost moved to tears, that rotten bastard!" Tifa sobbed. "Then he went to fuck his mistress. He's fucking Scarlet, that skank bitch. I hope he is deloused, has a flea dip, and gets his entire body autoclaved, and wears three condoms before he attempts to come near me again. I miss him" she sobbed.

"Of course, everyone knows Scarlet is his lover" Yuffie said with a frown.

"She told people?" Tifa asked.

"No it was in the paper today. You don't know about the article?" She explained. "Now Scarlet is giving interviews, those kind of "mistress tells all, types"" she concluded.

"It will ruin him" Tifa suddenly said.

"So let him be ruined" Yuffie asked her.

"He's my husband. His rank means so little to him, but he's worked so hard to reestablish himself more so as a person, not a title and not a thing. I can't let this happen. Cheating asshole or not, he's still the father of my children, no matter the circumstances. Scarlet is just wanting his title." Tifa said.

"Always routing for the underdog, eh Tiff. What do you want to do?" she asked.

"I need to see what I can do legally" and she went and called Dexter.

"You can sue for defamation of characters but if it's true..." Dexter said.

"It is" Tifa admitted.

"Oh Tifa, that's horrible" Dexter said, okay technically he was Sephiroth's lawyer, but that didn't mean that he had to like him all the time. "There is another way, but we would have to do this and today to minimize the damage. Are you willing to go on TV up against Scarlet?" he asked her.

"I think that my boxing days have been put on hold" she said.

"I meant verbally" he said.

"You set it up" she said and in less than an hour, wearing a power maternity suit and looking every inch the respectable young housewife, she smiled innocently into the camera.

"Mrs. Crescent, thank you so much for being with us today, and you too Scarlet" the kindly interviewer said to them.

"Thanks for letting me clear the air regarding my husband and myself, please call me Tifa" Tifa said to the interviewer, Rhonda and rubbing her belly and smiling demurely.

"Scarlet, I understand that you have been involved with General Crescent for the duration of his rather abrupt marriage" Rhonda said to her.

"I have been lovers with him for just under ayear" Scarlet said.

"Oh our rather abrupt marriage! I know it was so naughty of me to steal my husband's sperm sample like I did. It's a good thing he was so understanding and married me" Tifa said and everyone seemed to ignore Scarlet.

"Yes that is a very novel way for a great love affair to begin" Rhonda agreed.

"Great love affair? She was trying to get another sample and got them mixed up" Scarlet objected.

"I lied, I knew it was his all along" she said. "Things haven't always been candlelight and roses, Scarlet has been trying to break us apart since, like whenever" she said with distain in her voice.

"How dare you, that is not true" Scarlet objected.

"So you haven't been trying to seduce her husband?" Rhonda asked him.

"I had a long standing relationship with him long before she was in the picture" Scarlet snarled.

"Rhonda, you have to understand that when the General was reinstated, he was still in a dark place and probably needed some support, and there was Scarlet to at least pretend to be doing that, while only using him for her own personal gain.

"That's not true. I loved him and then you came along" Scarlet said, going well, scarlet in the face.

Tifa just looked at her in sympathy.

"I pity women like you, all you ever worry about is what prestige a man can bring you. Had General Crescent, my husband been the General's driver or a male nurse or something more menial you wouldn't have bothered with him. You're not in love with him, you might worship him aesthetically, but you're really not concerned with the man. To love someone, you know of his quirks and foibles and accept them. Did you know that his favourite colour his blue? How he takes his coffee? That's he's secretly addicted to chocolate to the point he keeps it in the desk drawer of his office in a box labelled "untested materia"?" Tifa asked her.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Scarlet demanded.

"That's what separates someone who truly loves him, from someone who just wants to screw him" Tifa said, looking at her like she was something she caught happily munching in her vegetable patch.

"So you and the General are still together?" Rhonda asked her.

"We're stronger than ever and looking forward to the birth of our children" Tifa said, stroking her belly again.

"I bet you're not even sleeping together" Scarlet said.

"Think again, you've seen the way my husband looks" Tifa said with a smile and a pretty blush.

"Then what was he doing coming over to my place to sleep with me?" she asked Tifa.

"We had a silly fight and I demanded he give you up for once and for all, so he went to see you in a rage. I'm sure you had a little fight of your own" Tifa said.

"We had sex all night long" Scarlet corrected her.

"Oh really, what did you think of love bite I left on his inner thigh?" Tifa asked her sweetly.

"I thought it rather sexy" Scarlet said.

"I didn't leave a love bite anywhere on his body and never have. Only trashy skanks do that, it's so tacky. You never slept with him last night, you're a fraud. Your expression gave you away. You haven't been with him for over a month. General Sephiroth Crescent is married only to his rank as General, his people support him and me. I support him and we don't have time for people like you" Tifa said standing up.

"He's mine" Scarlet cried.

"Not anymore" Tifa said. "Here's a parting shot for you; stay away from my husband" she said and with a right cross to her jaw. Scarlet collapsed on the ground.

"Sorry Rhonda, I didn't mean to get carried away" Tifa apologized.

"That skank is the reason I divorced my last husband" Rhonda said. "You want to help me drag her into the back and we can both work her over?" she suggested.

"No I'm okay" she said.

Dexter met her to take her home. "Well done, I contacted the paper and they are going to run a retraction in tomorrow's paper. I thought you said your boxing days were on hold?" he asked, holding the door open for her and then offering her his hand to help her ease her hugely pregnant body into the limo and it broke her heart as this is what Sephiroth normally did.

"Once a fighter, always a fighter" she said and then wondered where Sephiroth was.

Zach was eating this up. "Hey kiddo, I'm your uncle Zach and this here is your disgruntled uncle Cloud" said as Vincent brought Sephiroth out from the testing lab with a lollypop in one hand and holding Vincent's hand with the other.

Sephiroth blinked at Zach like he was slow.

"I don't recall the professor saying that my mother had brothers" as he stared the two down with his unnerving glare.

"Kid's still a total asshat" Cloud mumbled.

Zach slapped the back of Cloud's head.

"Dude, he's just a kid!" Zach said caught up in the moment.

"That is 6'5, extremely powerful and doesn't have those honed filters yet, can will a 7ft katana into existence, oh and can cast magic from his body" Cloud again corrected, deadly serious.

Sephiroth had that look like they were calling him an 'it', it showing in his saddened demeanor. Vincent slapped Cloud almost through a wall from the back of his head.

"Let it lie Cloud, we get your point. All we've done is made more worry for Tifa in our handling of things" Vincent stated.

Cloud rolled his eyes and huffed, but didn't deny that fact. Sephiroth was hurt and she hugely pregnant. Terrible timing.

"That's a bad word, asshat" he interjected in his his childish tone of voice.

"Sephiroth this is Zach, as he stated. He's going to put on your seat beat and then we will take you home." Vincent said.

"He can talk like a 10-year-old, but not put on a seat belt? Sigh priorities Hojo…" Zach teased.

"He's the mental age of four, just be glad he isn't demanding a car seat" Vincent said with a sigh and pulled out his PHS to call Tifa to say he was bringing Sephiroth home and he wasn't quite himself.

"Do I have to go the lab?" He said with fright in his voice, eyes larger than they had any business being.

"No you'll be staying with your wi… a nice lady named Tifa and if you can't stay there, you'll come stay with me, unless Zach would like to..." Vincent suggested.

"Forget it, I'm not changing his diapers" Zach snapped.

"I haven't worn diapers since I was one" Sephiroth proudly said.

"Oh man, too much information" Zack groaned. "Come on sir-Seph, stop kicking my seat" Zack complained.

When Vincent said "not in his right mind", NOTHING could have prepared her for this.

There, slightly cowering behind Vincent, was Sephiroth staring like he was accessing her, which he probably was.

"Are you my new caretaker then? You're pretty but why are you so rotund in the center? You also have those strange growths on your- "Sephiroth was silenced by Vincent's hand, to which he licked it and giggled.

"I can take him back to my place until he has recovered. I know that this is Cloud's, Zach's, and my fault. He was being just so disagreeable and what he'd said. . .I. I just couldn't accept it. I can see him well…" Vincent was interrupted by Tifa.

"No, no I will take care of him. He's my husband and I will not harm him, you know that is not my nature" Tifa said. "Sephiroth would you like to stay here with me? You'll have your own room, plenty to eat and we have a pool to play in and we will find lots of fun things to do together" she said to him.

"Can I stay with the pretty lady?" Sephiroth asked Vincent, turning his newly innocent eyes on him.

Vincent caught the pretty part. "Of course you can, this is your home too" he assured him and watched as the trusting child Sephiroth latched onto Tifa.

Vincent didn't say anything else to her, but did nod his understanding. But spoke to the 'child' Sephiroth. "You've no idea what glimpse you've given to me, Sephiroth. Maybe one day when you fully remember what I have said, you will understand" and with that he hugged Sephiroth as if his life depended on it, Sephiroth settling into the hug and hugged him back.

As Vincent was leaving, he heard him speak in a voice where only he could hear it, "I knew it was you all along" Sephiroth said in his soft baritone voice. It had been so clear, so purely adult that he'd thought the man cured, but as he whipped around, he saw Sephiroth holding Tifa's hand skipping and chattering in the way only a child could. Vincent turned back around, leaving the house still with a lighter heart for it all. He was glad that he had convinced the suddenly young Sephiroth to shower at the hospital so that there were no bloodstains on the man-child that might have caused Tifa to take out her annoyance out on them, at their mutual "idea" for revenge against Sephiroth.

Seeing Sephiroth so free was jarring initially. Through all the times she'd ever met the man, was socially inept and emotionally constipated. What that meant was her heart hurt, was it had been killed when he was young. He had apparently felt before and deeply as any other human. He was just as inquisitive and smart as a whip. Would their children be this way?

"Lady, I am hungry" Sephiroth complained.

"You can call me Tifa" she said.

"Tifa, I'm hungry" he repeated.

"Let's go to the kitchen and make you something to eat and then would you like to go for a swim?" She asked him, he eagerly nodded. "Do you know how to swim?" She asked him.

"Sure" he said. Tifa stole a glance at Sephiroth to where he was sitting at the table, looking curiously around.

"How about a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich?" She asked him.

"I would like that very much please, it's my favorite! " he said excitedly and she smiled, some things never changed.

"What's wrong?" She asked him when she put it in front of him.

"There are crusty pieces" he explained as he wrinkled his snowy brow and nose.

"Let's take care of those" she said handing him the knife, forgetting the circumstances for a moment before he reminded her.

"I'm not allow to touch sharp objects just yet. The professor has been training me with a wooden nodachi" he said and wondered why she was laughing and hugging him but it was acceptable feeling, so he allowed it.

"Okay let's go play in the pool" she said.

She gotten changed herself into her bathing suit and went to dig out some swim trunks for Sephiroth when he suddenly blurred past her, naked as the day he was born, jumping into the pool screaming "cannon ball", giggling the whole time.

She blushed and dropped the trunks on the floor.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked her as he'd climbed out the pool, staring at her with worry that he had done something wrong.

"No, no go and have fun. You didn't do anything wrong and I will be right with you," realizing he was just being his physiological age at the moment and it wasn't as if she hadn't seen him naked before and followed him. Wishing that her pregnancy hormones would shut the fuck up as she followed the tall, very attractive and very naked figure and watched as he did another cannon ball into the pool and splashed her, giving her an irresistible, mischievous grin that caused her to smile back. She joined him and they had a splash fight, Sephiroth laughing the whole time, sounding like music to Tifa's ears.

Cloud knew that it wasn't really any of his business, but rode his bike towards the mansion that apparently was owned by Sephiroth. He watched as they sat on the porch swing together and he found himself studying them. Tifa was laughing at something and brushing Sephiroth's bangs out of his face while he smiled down at her and suddenly hugged her and her own arms came around him. Cloud couldn't believe how easily she was touching the biggest jackass that he had ever met. She stood up, showing her hugely pregnant belly and Cloud couldn't believe it that it was actually true.

Cloud had pictured Tifa being completely unattended to due to the nature of Sephiroth's and her relationship.

Yet, here she was in a mansion, actually of her choosing, well fed and happy and decently clothed, a with few servants here and there and wondered; was it possible she was happy with her ex-enemy or was it just her motherly-self responding to the child in him?

Tifa waited respectfully for Sephiroth to dress in a t-shirt and sleep pants and tucked him into bed and read him a chapter from her favorite book as a child.

"Goodnight Sephiroth" she said giving him a hug and a kiss on a cheek. The child him was really cuddly to his adult prickliness and aversion to touch and she welcomed the change.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" He asked her drowsily.

"I'll fix us some breakfast and then we can work in the garden and I'll show you how to make flower crowns" she promised him.

"Where are you going?" He asked her in a sad voice, slightly panicking.

"I'm going to my room as normal" she said.

"But I'm afraid of the dark in strange places. I hate sleeping alone when that's the case. I am scared of being alone as I don't know where I am…very well yet" he said, talking under the covers where he had buried his head.

"Come on then, you can sleep with me" she said and brought him to her bedroom, and he helped her arrange her nest of pillows that her growing body made necessary for sleep and he fell asleep draped along her back as they never had before.


	6. Chapter 6

As much as Tifa had come to care for Sephiroth's pragmatic, icy calm and rational self. She loved spending time with the child version of him and was determined to make ever precious second count. He hadn't had a childhood, so it was a blessing he got a second chance, though she doubted he would have agreed.

They slept together every night, but not as a man and woman did, more how like a child and mother. Tifa was the last person in the world to take advantage of a mentally damaged man. Everything they did was strictly age appropriate to his mentality. She happily accepted and freely gave back the affection he sought. He was just... adorable and bright and curious. He didn't have a bedtime, so would go to bed when Tifa would and get up at the same time. For her third trimester, she needed more rest during the days and he would nap with her, often holding pieces of her hair in his hand while he sucked his thumb in his sleep. Okay that was a little different, but still acceptable. It seemed that the General had a hair fetish even at a small age, vanity thy name is Sephiroth!

Each day brought on something different, bird watching, feeding ducks that swam in a pond on their property. Picking vegetables for dinner in the garden Tifa had planted or making flower crowns...a naked Sephiroth chasing butterflies and frolicking in the meadow; all of this was recorded for posterity (or perhaps for blackmail) by Tifa.

Sometimes Zach and Vincent would join them to play a supercharged version of tag amongst the enhanced men, that made Tifa rather nervous and sometimes, she found herself having to remind herself that Sephiroth wasn't actually four years old.

One day Sephiroth asked her, "Tifa, if you're not fat and just pregnant; where is your husband?"

"How do you know what a husband is?" she asked him.

"One of the ladies at the lab got married and then she got pregnant. Isn't that the way ladies get pregnant?" Sephiroth asked her.

"There's a little more to it than that" she stated.

"Like what?" he asked her.

"You'll know when you're older" she said with a blush.

"Where do the babies come out of?" he asked her with an adorable frown that caused his nose to wrinkle.

"The same way they went in" she responded. "I do have a husband, but he's gone away for a little while" she explained.

"Is he a nice man like Vincent?" he asked her.

She paused, reminding herself that Sephiroth was most likely going to remember this timeframe when he was healed.

"He's nice too, but he's less outgoing than Vincent (who was hardly outgoing in the least), he's had a hard life and is still recovering from that. He takes good care of those he deems worthy and is thoughtful and intelligent, and I do believe he can be very kind when motivated" she said.

"Can touch your belly again?" he asked her and she lifted up her shirt and his hand caressed it. "Why do they always move so much when I touch them?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure?" she said, which was true.

Both Sephiroth and herself hoped it had more to do with father-son recognition while in the womb and a lot less to do with Jenova. She suspected it to be the first one, either way, they knew who their Father was.

"Can I meet your husband?" he asked her.

"You will soon" she promised him.

"Good" he said, lying back in the grass with his head in her lap and captured a swath of her hair in his fist and started sucking his thumb and she idly stroked his own hair, feeling so content with the world and wishing that he could retain a tiny piece of this new personality when he came back to himself.

It was so engaging and endearing to know that Sephiroth had once been like this before a Scientist named Hojo had destroyed him.

"Do you like me?" he asked her in a voice reminiscent of the fatal night they had first made love.

"I love you" she said, looking down into his cat green eyes and meaning it.

"I love you too Tifa" he said meaning as a child did.

Tifa had had to tell Rufus what had happened, who then told Reeve and had Sephiroth's medical chart forwarded to both them as proof. Yet they still stopped by the mansion and could only sit in shocked silence as the polite young Sephiroth talked to them, very intelligently indeed for his mental age, while he wore a purple flower crown on his head and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, having long given up wearing his leathers as they were "too hot" on his skin. While he talked to them, he drew a picture of a stick figure Tifa, with long hair, a triangle skirt, a round circle for her belly and two extra circles above them for parts of her that the kid Sephiroth really seemed to like about her. They both had soon left, clearly baffled and had assured her that his rank was still secure and send him back when he "grew up".

It was fun for Tifa to have Sephiroth mentally stuck at that age, but it couldn't last forever. The last memorable moments were him making mud pies and grumbling about them not tasting like a pie or chocolate. Tifa had almost lost it laughing, but instead made him some chocolate chip cookies and the boy did sugar like Mako!

He was into everything, like a normal child on a sugar rush, just 6'5, built like a brick wall, oh and not really a child and was a blur when he ran to and fro, dizzying Tifa. When he started crashing, he started to get fussy and refused to wash his face so they both climbed into bed, Sephiroth with a chocolatey face and all, and passed out.

Sephiroth sat up and wondered what he was doing in Tifa's bed and why was he was wearing a t-shirt and sleep pants, when he preferred to sleep naked. He went to move his head and a limp flower crown slid into his lap, from his hair. He felt…sticky, the scent of chocolate heavily clinging to him. He got up and looked in the mirror to see if they were anything else different about himself and noticed he seemed to have crumbs and chocolate goo all over his face. He remembered the strange dream he had been having where he was four, how curious. He heard Tifa moan and heave herself up, she walked sleepily towards him and cuddled him and said in a cloying, gooey voice, how one might coo to an infant.

"Are you okay Sephiroth? Are the closet monsters bothering you again?" she asked him. He could feel himself blushing.

"Tifa, what are you doing?" he asked her in a strangled voiced. He was frozen in shock, Tifa wasn't good with boundaries, but respected his personal space for the most part.

"Sephiroth you're yourself again" she said and if anything, hugged him harder and then let him go.

"Tifa, I have had strange dreams of being a child again, did that transpire? he asked waited for her answer with baited breath.

"Yes" she admitted.

"The gardening, the playing, the running around… naked?" he asked, blushing from head to toe.

"You got it, don't worry. We didn't let anyone else know, it was completely contained by Vincent, Zach, Cloud and myself. Well and Rufus and Reeve too because they are your employers.

The seemingly emotionless man suddenly groaned and covered his face with both hands in shame. Especially when he remembered with each embarrassed blush of humiliation, every time he held someone's hand or sucked his thumb. He slunk in embarrassment to the washroom to clean his face thinking.

Zach. Was. Never. Going. To. Let. Him. Live. This. One. Down.

Seppuku was his first thought. But dismissed it as people would probably sell tickets to it.

He rejoined her. "Oh well, I shall be stripped of my rank anyway for the fiasco with Scarlet, not that I truly cared for the title anyway" he said, sounding oddly relieved.

"Don't be silly, the public understood that she was in the wrong and fully supported you over that harlot, especially after I punched her out" she said.

"Punched her out?" horrified at the idea of the petite and pregnant Tifa in a fight. "You were sparring? In your condition?" he demanded.

"I wasn't sparring; I gave her a right cross before a live studio audience and...out went the lights. I would never spar like this" she said indignantly.

"You have better tell me everything that has been happening" he said in a frosty voice, not pleased in the least at this revelation. She could have gotten hurt, the idea really bothered him. What if Scarlet had hurt her?

"Well first you got knocked out and became four-year-old Sephiroth; he's very charming by the way" Tifa began, looking away wistfully. "Why did he die? Because that's how it feels it feels like. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy have you back in place. But it's nice to know that your heart once felt love" Tifa said sadly.

Sephiroth placed both of his hands over his face and outright sighed. "I mean. With you" he stated and she did.

"So, she lost her position at WRO because of the amount of women coming forward, whose husbands she had slept with, oh and getting involved with a higher up General is frowned upon" she explained.

"You did this for me. Why? I was more than certain you were incensed with the situation" he said in confusion at her actions.

"You're worked so hard to get what you have. Even if you had slept with her that night, I couldn't let you lose what you gained over something so stupid" she said.

He studied her to see if she was being sincere and knew that she was.

"I did not sleep with her though, yes it is hard to say, it was initially my intention to. I couldn't, physically. All I could think about was you and how soiled I would feel if I had" he said honestly. "To answer your question about the "child" Sephiroth as it were, I suspect that he had simply been buried. Deal with Professor Hojo and his house of lies, a mental break down that almost cost all of humanity and see how in tune to your "inner child" you are" Sephiroth all but growled. "You forget when you were having crushes on the male gender, I was commanding men at the same age. That does something to a man. I will never be flowery with words or actions, but I will protect what is mine. I will try for you in every way, but I am hardened by steel. I may not…love you now, but that is not a bearing on wanting you to remain my wife. Things change and so does my mind constantly, as I noticed when it does come to you. I do like you, and could do more. Wait for my honest feelings as they will come" Sephiroth said with such sincerity that Tifa was taken aback by his words.

"Sephiroth what I demanded. I'm so sorry. You can put it down to my neediness, pregnancy hormones, my constant quest for love that always remains unrequited in the end or that I can perhaps be a real bitch at times. Either way, I shouldn't have put you in that position. Perhaps you will some day, like you said or perhaps you'll try and kill me again" she said.

"I like you. Isn't that the first step? Perhaps in time. Until then, I just want to be a real husband to you as I stated and a father to our children, they deserve something we both, under different circumstances, were robbed of, you later than me" he said.

"So shall we shake on that?" she said with sad amusement in her voice as she offered him her hand.

"Stop being foolish Tifa. I do not give my attention freely, despite what recent situations have you to believe" Sephiroth said looking at her intensely. "Besides, I think we can do better than a handshake" he said soundly kissing her.

"No more lovers?" she asked him, pushing him slightly away.

"Just you" he assured and they made love side by side in a way recommended by the internet, when Sephiroth had looked up positions for pregnancy and knew that once the eighth month came up, that she wouldn't really be able to, so they had to make up for lost time. He held her when she burst out crying on climax and didn't care if his own emotions showed. He was past the point of being able to hide them from her and felt profoundly sad that he had been unable to provide her with the one thing she needed the most during her pregnancy: emotional support. Yes, he had been able to have a nice house built for to her specifications and filled it with everything on her list, but money can't buy affection or happiness, but time could. He was willing to change and already had been changed by the woman in his arms and would continue to do so. Love was not something he knew how to do, neither was trust, but he already trusted her and the other...well, he felt like he was on the right path.

It was a much humbler, less abrasive Sephiroth that met with Vincent, Zach and Cloud. Cloud and Vincent at this time razed him for becoming a little kid after their last fight. Sephiroth took it all in stride. Actually the incident had fused with his real memories when he was that age literally, so that small period of kindness everyone had shown him at "four", had erased the real negative memories circa 1979 when he really was four and the caretakers were disposable and the professor cruel and hurtful. He would never say how thankful he was, only keep it in his heart and mind forever. The three were shocked that he wore a wedding ring, after all, he had told them his marriage was only a front.

"I feel I owe you and apology. I said some things and half truths that might have been taken out of context. I wish you to know that when I said that I allegedly had slept with Scarlet, I meant just that. I didn't sleep with her that night. Only Tifa" he said.

"Why not?" Cloud demanded.

"I could only think about making...having sex with Tifa. It clouded my brain and wouldn't allow me to-with Scarlet" Sephiroth actually stammered with embarrassment.

"Out with it" Zach demanded, his face in full interrogation mode and in his mind, he shone a bright light into Sephiroth's face.

"I couldn't get it up" he admitted, expecting them to laugh.

"Nor should you, she's a walking advertisement for STD" Vincent said dismissively. "Now what about what you said regarding Tifa's first time?"

Sephiroth swallowed hard and kept his face neutral and looked down. "Ah that, she and I made love" he quietly admitted and then looked up to find every man there frozen in shock, they couldn't have been more surprised by what Sephiroth had said, if he had admitted a fondness for wearing lady's lingerie.

'Made love' that, General Sephiroth, as cold as ice, emotionally constipated, social inept, even knew the expression boggled their minds. That he would say that in place of every day expressions for intercourse i.e. fucking, having sex, doing it etc. Sephiroth looked at them as if in challenge to mock him.

"So you're saying that you were emotionally in the moment with her while you both, er, made love?" Vincent said to unthaw the other frozen men and encourage them to pick their jaws off of the floor. "You had sex with her as a husband does with his wife?"

"Yes" Sephiroth replied, still looking uncomfortable. "I am with Tifa now in every way possible. Any of you have a problem with that? Especially you Cloud? He stated and glared at them all.

Zach just sighed and picked him up and again gave him another death grip hug. "No you moron. It's about time, I'm happy for you."

"Zach, why must you always insist on invading my personal space? Unhand me" he said and tugged his uniform back into place.

"It is about time" Vincent said and then went on to mutter something about children making a mess of things.

"And you Cloud, have you a problem with this? By the way, it is ill befitting to lurk outside of another man's home, whether he is in his right mind at the time or not and to ogle his wife and himself. I suggest if you have questions as to our living arrangements and personal abode, that you knock on the door and ask us" he chided him.

Cloud blushed to find out his observances hadn't gone unnoticed, but with the couple both being martial artists and one highly augmented, he supposed that he wasn't surprised to have gotten caught. "I'm fine as long as Tifa's happy about it and if not, I shall kick your ass. Though I will admit that you are not my first choice as husband to her, you're the last in fact" he said as he studied Sephiroth's neutral express and he gave him a small nod of acknowledgement at this.

"Sephiroth, honey" Tifa said, stepping into his office.

Sephiroth seemed to sag at this. "Tifa didn't I ask you not to use monikers in public?" he hissed at her.

Causing all three males to laugh.

"Sorry" she said, looking not contrite in the least.

"What are you doing here?" Zach asked her, wondering what had caused her to come to WRO headquarters.

"I'm here to pick up Sephiroth to take him to la maze class and then to a pizza date" she explained.

"You intend to be in the delivery room with her?" Cloud asked him in surprise.

"No, I ordered a throne and shall be getting a manicure with her chained naked to the base of it, while she gives birth. Of course I'm going to be there. We're having the birth at the in house hospital of WRO, using our own ob-gyn. Someone wanted to have a home birth involving a water tank of all things, but there is always a risk with multiple births-" he explained.

"Too much information" she said, silencing the hardly ever talkative Sephiroth. "Don't get him started with information about pregnancy, he's so well read on the subject, you would swear that he was the one having our babies.

"Did you get sufficient rest today?" he asked her.

"Sure, after I went for my ten-mile jog" she said, considering she was almost waddling at that point.

Cloud found himself watching their interaction, although they obviously weren't sort to cuddle in public, the way Sephiroth automatically offered his hand to help lower her onto the couch spoke volumes that Sephiroth had been speaking the truth about them having an emotional bond, that and how Tifa had obvious affection for him.

"There is nothing wrong being well read" he groused.

"Yes until they are actually born and you are reading to them from a book, telling them the reasons why they shouldn't be crying" she teased him.

"Sephiroth, do you mind if I talk to Tifa?" Cloud asked him.

"So talk, she's right there" he said indicating to her with a flick of his wrist.

"I mean in private, alone" he requested.

Sephiroth seemed to bristle at this, as if Cloud had asked him to remove her top so that he might compare her breasts now, from their dimensions from before.

"I don't think..." he said, hovering territorially over her.

"It's fine, I'll be a few minutes" she said taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Come Sephiroth, give us a tour of the headquarters that Zach and I have seen many times before" Vincent drily suggested.

Tifa looked at Cloud for the first time in a long time and felt a calmness that like she never had in his presence, gone were the silly butterflies of girlhood, in front of her was just a man, a handsome one at that, but not the one of her dreams.

"I heard of the mix up and I'm sorry my actions made you take such drastic measures. I just need to know. Is this what you want? Being with Sephiroth? I hear that he all but forced you to marry him" Cloud said.

"It was a strange day for sure, we had just both found out the truth about the father of my children. It was even a fluke that he was there in the first place. I suppose it was good of him to come with me or I would be in jail now. It was him that prevented me from going to jail. He did badger me into it I will admit, but I was the one who chose to stay with him. I could have left at any time. As if a mere man, no matter how augmented could keep me in check if I wished to leave. I wasn't happy about Scarlet and he still has that to make up to me, but I have forgiven him. He's not perfect, he's certainly no Angel or God. If anything, he's a stubborn pain in the ass, but he's mine" she concluded.

"You could have worked out a custody agreement" Cloud suggested.

"Children disappear all the time. With everything that had happened to him, he was worried about what would happen if someone like Hojo took them just because of who their father is. He never wanted children in the first place and had ordered any DNA of his found to be destroyed for this purpose. We did what we had to do to protect them, I was just a hostage to the situation, but adapted because my cage proved to be not hostile in the least with wide gaps at the bars and my jailor a lot more reasonable then he seems. I found comfort in the situation and now I'll admit, I love him. Strange how a mistake can bring you what you never knew you wanted" she mused. "I understand that you're with Aerith now. I am happy for you" she said.

"Actually, I have to confess something to you that I should have told you a long time ago. I could have never been with yourself or with Aerith in the way either of you hoped to be with me. I do like brunettes, but more in the form of Zach" he explained. "Had the children been mine and in a way I wish they had been; a custody agreement is all that I could have offered you."

"You're gay?" she asked him, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, Aerith knows. She has been staying with me as my ward because of her amnesia. You well, I didn't want to disappoint you" he said and was surprised when she laughed and hugged him.

"I do love you Cloud and always will, as a good friend" she said giving him a sunny smile.

"Aerith's coming here to meet me so I can give her a ride home. Would you like to see her?" he asked her.

"I would love to" she said.

"A pizza date? Aren't you the romantic?" Zach teased Sephiroth as they walked back to his office.

"We're part of a group of couples who are having their first baby and they asked us to meet up there" Sephiroth explained.

"You belong to a baby group? That's too funny" Zach said with a laugh.

"I think it's a fine idea" Vincent said as they met up with Tifa and Cloud.

"Ready to go? Sephiroth asked her.

"Sure I just want to talk to Aerith for a few minutes," she said waving at the pink clad woman and hugging her like a long lost sister and they settled into a belly rubbing discussion.

"So have you thought about names yet?" Cloud asked them.

"When Sephiroth was a child and didn't know he was their father, he suggested Sephiroth and then when I said they couldn't have the same name, he suggested Seph and Roth" she said and he rolled his eyes as if to say 'women'.

"We have been trying many and can't decide" he said replied.

Aerith suddenly said from where her hands rested on Tifa's abdomen, "their names are Cyrus Reign Crescent and Tobias Raven Crescent. You will know which is which when you get to meet them. They will grow into fine men and will be a credit to you both."

"I like those names" Tifa said.

"You hear that boys? You have names" Sephiroth said in an almost gooey voice to Tifa's belly and blushed when he realized he was doing it in public, having gotten used to talking to them this way.

Cloud took a deep breath. "I hope you don't mind me stealing a bit of your thunder, but it's time people knew. I'm gay" he announced and waited for people to exclaim in shock, instead everyone looked calmly back at him and seemed to be unsurprised.

"So you're like Vincent?" Sephiroth said.

"Vincent, you're gay?" Cloud asked in his usual deadpanned way.

"Reasons why I keep turning down a princess" he said.

"It's not a shock to me either, I mean look at these two women and you didn't do anything with either of them" Zach said indicating to Tifa and Aerith. Both laughed at this.

"Hum, I always assumed that Sephiroth was as well" Cloud said.

"Sorry, I bat exclusively for the other team and find myself taken by three people, two of whom shall be male, but not to the sort you would enjoy or at least, better not. Now if you will excuse us, we have to learn how to breathe. Apparently, we haven't been doing this properly all of our lives" he said and Tifa and he said goodbye as they left with his hand on the small of his waddling wife's back.

"I think they're going to be okay" Vincent said.

"If he hurts her again" Zach said, holding up his Buster Sword.

"I'm with you" Cloud said, holding up his Fusion Sword.

"Me three" Vincent said, taking out his Death Penalty.

"I hope you don't mind. The lady at the flower shop offered me a job and asked me to start immediately, so I won't need a ride back to the hotel" Aerith said.

"I'll walk her to the shop and run her to the hotel later, I have some work to do at the office anyway" Zach volunteered.

"Thanks I would like that Zach" she graciously said and departed with him. Zach just had this niggling that he knew Aerith more than just a friend. He didn't know what came over him but as the walked on, he grabbed her had and spun her around and soundly kissed her. Aerith initially was frightened but then something amazing began to happen to the both of them. Flashbacks or rather memories came flooding back with a vengeance to both of them.

On the withdrawal from the kiss, Zach placed his forehead against Aerith's looking into her eyes and she surprisingly wasn't fighting him and simply said, "You little sneak. I know you did it all for Sephiroth. "

The kiss had unlocked Zach's and Aerith's previous memories, for better or for worse. He knew that Aerith was the love of his life and Aerith likewise knew he was her solider boy that had finally returned to her.

"I will forgive you this time for sending me away and being so selfless, you know I love you always and forever" Zach spoke.

"And I, you too forever" Aerith said initiating another heartwarming kiss as they continued to walk hand in hand now.

Vincent and Cloud were left alone, "I have to go to the farm to check on a few things and that's in your direction. Can I give you a ride home on my Fenrir?" Cloud asked the other man.

"I do like vibration" Vincent said with more cheek than he'd ever hear before.

Cloud blushed to feel Vincent's arms wrapped around him and his body warmth along his back. It felt like it was burning him through his clothes while Vincent's cape billowed behind them. Cloud found himself staring at him when they got to Vincent's townhouse and stood on his front porch. Vincent unbuckled his cowl and let it drop, exposing his face in its entirety. "Would you like to come in for a drink?" He asked him.

"I would love to" Cloud said. They sat before a fire in his surprisingly comfortable living room, each toying with a glass of red wine, which soon were set down as their lips met and hands quested into clothes to explore warm, soft flesh.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all that read and left comments and kudos. This is the end and it was a wonderful time. If you enjoyed it, please continue to comment and let us know.

Well this is the final chapter, thanks for taking this romp with us!

Sephiroth and Tifa were having yet another fight over something stupid as ever. Both were known hotheads and their staff had learned to ignore them as fire met ice and they melted all over each other.

He was listening to her rants as she described him in such glowing terms as "control freak" and "colossal asshat". Sephiroth had been listening to Tifa's ranting and while she made some valid points, he was chalking the majority up to "feminine emotional instability," until she grabbed her stomach and cried out and he'd moved, not even knowing he'd done so to her aid. She was falling and he'd caught her. Goddess, he was worried.

He found himself holding her and calling her name, before he realized what the hell he was doing, embarrassed at how useless he had been acting. He always been known to keep a cool head, no matter the circumstances and wondered what had caused that to change.

Sephiroth saw it before Tifa registered it, there was a pool of fluid that had originated from Tifa and it was getting larger and more bloodied as the seconds ticked by.

"What? It's too early, you're not due for another two weeks, you're not even having contractions" he said as if trying to reason this with the offspring in her womb.

"Tell that to them. We have to go... right now" she gasped as the missing contractions found her and slammed her.

Sephiroth scooped up the frightened woman, as through her cries and confusion, she pounded her tiny, but strong fists against him, afraid of what was happening, afraid because it was too soon and afraid of losing the children they'd both come to truly love.

With Tifa in the crook of one arm and his PHS in the other, Sephiroth called the medical unit at the WRO, letting them know she'd appeared to be in distress, if not in outright labor.

Tifa, ever prepared for anything, had already had her night bag packed. Sephiroth plucked it with his now freed up hand, placed her in the car and while securing her, put the bag in back...and away they went. To Tifa, the passing streetlights were a blur, probably having a lot to do with her pain and Sephiroth hauling ass like a professional race car driver. She yelped out again at a now obvious contraction, but there was something else amiss.

"Sephiroth PLEASE pull over! The baby is coming, I can feel the head" Tifa said, while trying to not push and birth her child the baseboard of their car.

Sephiroth more or less slammed on the brakes, jostling them and Tifa glared at him until she saw the naked fear on his face. It would have been comical if she didn't have a head between her thighs right now...and not in a good way.

"It's...it's what? "he said about as intelligently as a talking cumquat might be.

"Move it mister or your child is going on the floor maT-T-shit! " she exclaimed and like magic, he was just there at her side and her door opened. He bent down, looking right at her hoo-hah. Sephiroth looked on and sure enough, there was a tiny, tiny head that had emerged from Tifa, turned downwards, along with a shoulder that was now moving out. He wanted to run, to cry, to something. He wasn't qualified for this!

Tifa began bearing down in earnest, losing the battle of holding back. Sephiroth blanched as the little...person began its descent again from her body.

"I swear to all that is holy, IF you let this baby fall, I will personally kill you! " Tifa growled which ended in a groan and had, surprisingly, Sephiroth taking up his spot to catch the child, him even unlatching the seat belt and easing the seat back.

With one big push, Sephiroth found his hands full of wrinkly, pink, green cat eyed, winged, silvery hair baby, squirming and making the smallest cutest cry in existence to let them know he was alright and he quickly quieted. Sephiroth placed the babe in the driver's seat, opening a baby's bag she'd also had ready and taking out his pocket knife and some string, he tied off the cord and quickly cut it and wrapped the child up to keep him warm and placed him back in the driver's seat.

Soon, Tifa was on the move again with the second twin. This one was super ready, not. This little head was covered in silvery black hair, making the black look opalescent. Tifa struggled with this one and Sephiroth worried that the child was coming out wrong. No, it was just stubborn. With two great big pushes, the last twin was evicted from his cozy home, just as small as his brother and looking like his living negative. Oh but when he cried and opened up his eyes...they were ruby red. Not Tifa's deep burgundy but full blown ruby, as in Vincent Valentine red eyes. Sephiroth's paused at this and wondered.

Sephiroth bundled up each child and carefully placed them in Tifa's arms, after cleaning her up the best he could as he would only take them to the one doctor he could trust to give his children a clean bill of health.

He could not help looking in the rearview mirror to check on his new family and the confirmation that they were his and his alone. Sephiroth could not stop staring at the sight of actual children that looked like him, the proof was right there! Then he noticed how still Tifa had become and pulled over again. She smiled at him, almost as pale as himself and then slumped over, he instinctively took the two children into his arms. They started to howl, as if sensing his distress and then he could see the blood running down between her legs. Somehow he had his sons secured in one arm while he flew the blood weeping Tifa in the other, not trusting the car to get them there in time.

He landed as lightly as could before emergency and booted the door open. "My wife just gave birth and is bleeding severely, please help save her" he cried out in almost a hysterical sounding voice.

The medical crew took the children to the nursery and cleaned and checked their vitals, while a now limp Tifa was lifted and sped away for emergency surgery.

Sephiroth was afraid that he'd be a widower and his children, motherless on their day of their birth and it finally dawned on him. He, Sephiroth Crescent, the man people described as being heartless, loved the unyielding woman who was his wife and had given him two precious things he'd never thought that he would want or need. He almost felt faint at the knowledge and with trembling hands, he called their friends to let them know what was happening. Then he was summoned to the nursery to wait for news of Tifa, feeding one child at a time from bottles a nurse had provided, trusting no one else to touch his children.

Vincent and Cloud were "wrestling" on Vincent's couch as the dinner that had been proposed went cold. Cloud groaned as Vincent's phone rang and leaned up from Vincent's lap, giving him a look not to answer it, but the other man did anyway when he noticed who was calling.

He seemed to go even paler.

"We must go, Tifa has given birth but is bleeding out" he told Cloud.

Cloud's own PHS call came when they were already winging their way there via Chaos, while Cloud was held in Vincent's arms and Chaos whispered his approval of their "petite" mate, that was swiftly ignored in their haste.

Sephiroth studied the babies, taking in their little features.

Cyrus Reign would be the silver haired one, the dark haired one being the obvious choice for Tobias Raven but didn't commit to that without Tifa's input, he just couldn't.

Sephiroth laid them down together in a hospital provided bassinet and both wernt quiet, showing that certain things did run in the family. Sephiroth sat and waited and waited for any news. As he was in deep thought, Vincent surprisingly appeared before him. He sat with him and looked at the beautiful newborns.

"I can see both set of features in their faces at even at so young an age, it's like looking at yourself at their age. I was present at your birth, but was only allowed to see you for a few seconds. "You were beautiful even as a newborn. This twin, you're probably wondering about his eye colour" he said, indicating to the one with red eyes.

"I'm calling him Tobias Raven for now, until Tifa..." he said, his throat going too tight to continue as he broke his eye contact with Vincent and looked back at the small child again and was surprised when Vincent gave him a brief hug.

"This eye colour is a prominent gene in my family that came from my father and his father and his father's father's and it has manifested in one of your children, as it skipped a generation, most likely due to Mako in your system, hence your unique eye color" Vincent said standing in front of Sephiroth, as matter of factually with his arms crossed. "I do have a son born from the only woman I ever slept with and loved, her name was Lucrecia Crescent. The professor was not your father, never could it have been Hojo as he was sterile...and I was not and as you might believe, you're mine."

Apparently this was the day for all manner of shocks.

Sephiroth's real father was one of the freedom fighters of Avalanche that had to hunt him down initially and the one to put Omega down? Goddess... He was shaken out all of his churning thoughts when the doctor came from him and he was up out of his chair to greet the man.

"Hello Mr. Crescent. Your wife lost a lot of blood and she is weak, but with a few well placed stitches and heavy use of restore materia, she's stable but is worried about her babies and you. You can come with me and bring your children and your friend to greet her" the doctor said to Sephiroth of Vincent, not knowing his age was in the 50's.

Friend indeed, Vincent was his father and now a grandfather! Yet he looked no older than his late 20's, like him. Sephiroth shook it off and headed to see Tifa, with Vincent in tow, each of them holding one of the babies. Vincent had been touched as the man who never really trusted anyone, had wordless handed him one of this grandsons to carry to join Tifa and he marvelled how small and perfect he was and vowed to help raise him and his brother to manhood. He had already failed his own son, so he sure wasn't going to fail his grandsons.

Vincent cheerfully watched the joyous family reunion as Tifa hugged her shameless weeping husband and they exclaimed over their children, clearly already in love with them, he softly closed the door behind him to give them a moment. He met Cloud in the waiting room, giving him a mischievous smile that no one else would have caught. Their relationship was secret for the moment as they wanted it to be established before they brought it to everyone's attention. Not realizing they were fooling no one, as Cloud got up to go see the new family and strolled past his lover with barely a glance, giving him only a slightly smug smile.

Sephiroth couldn't get enough of touching all three of them, kissing them, claiming them forever as his own. "I hope you're satisfied with two children because there is a small matter of my vasectomy" he teased her.

"The doctor assured me that can be reversed" Tifa said, feeling exhausted but wanting to let none of them out of her sight. They had been through so much to get where they were and wanted to savour this moment of seeing her stoic husband so emotionally and beautifully undone and being so tender in his devotion to her and their sons.

"Do you know the level of pain I had to face for this? Anaesthetic is useless with my system" he said incredulously and she covered his mouth with her own in a soft kiss.

"Two is fine" she assured him.

"I love you" he said, expecting her to get teary eyed and start sobbing at this revelation and then frowned when all Tifa did was give him a smirk reminiscent of his own and said.

"I know" she smugly said with her own look back in understanding.

Aerith and Zack were next to arrive on the pretense that they were just having "best friend time" and just happened to be together when they got the call, yet Cloud, Sephiroth and even the exhausted Tifa couldn't help noticing the light pink lipstick on his collar and deduced that the best friend thing had evolved to another type of relationship, as it was meant to be.

"They're so beautiful. Can I hold one?" Aerith asked Tifa.

"Of course" Tifa said, holding Tobias out of her.

"You look beautiful holding a baby" Zach said and she blushed and held him out to Zach and suddenly Zach was holding him.

"And you look very handsome holding one" she said with a giggle.

Sephiroth firmly but gently took his offspring from his friends.

"I know that it appears that I have a surplus baby, but these both belong to Tifa and myself. Go make your own" he bade both blushing people.

Zach looked at the now blushing Aerith with an understanding they'd had for 10 years in the making, though it didn't show, Zach fondly said "You know Seph, maybe we will, maybe we will."

All the while, Vincent was propped against the wall having depraved thoughts about Cloud Strife and thanks to his own personal demon entity, maybe Cloud would come down with a sudden case of strange pregnancy, but he wasn't saying nor was Chaos.

In either instance, Sephiroth was content, still his own stern self, though softened by this tiny powder keg and his two handsome boys that would succeed where life had failed him. He had three people who he could protect and he already loved two immediately and respect and love for Tifa were running synonymous these days. He also had a surviving parent though he disliked Cloud's smell being on him, and he'd never say he knew unless Vincent wanted to admit about the two of them.

In either instance, this was one time a mistaken identity served him beautifully and he'd do it all over again.


End file.
